A Very Faberry Christmas
by Fabraygron
Summary: "How did I end up being bossed around by you again?" "I think that's a story we'd all like to hear." At the first annual Berry-Fabray Christmas party, the two tell of the epic love story that finally brought them together.
1. Prologue: Christmas Trees and Gold Stars

"Do I seriously have to wear this all night?" A voice called from the bathroom.

"Of course! What would be the point of wearing it for half of the night?" Another voice replied.

"I look like an idiot."

"You do not. You look handsome."

"Handsome? You need to think of a better adjective or I'm not wearing this at all."

"Baby, come out here, I need to see you before I can think of another adjective, I need to evaluate your costume again."

Slowly the bathroom door opened and the tall blonde emerged in her costume. The small brunette sat on the edge of the bed and tried to banish her growing smile and laughter. The blonde frowned at the brunette who was failing to suppress the laughter. Eventually she gave in and her laughter erupted. The room was filled with shrill laughter and it only stopped when the blonde swooped down and captured the brunette's lips in a deep kiss.

"Rachel Berry, you are so damn lucky that I love you. Otherwise I would not go through with...this" she said pointing at the Christmas tree outfit Rachel had chosen for her. "You are aware how many 'whipped' comments I'm going to get tonight, aren't you?" The brunette nodded in response. "How come I have this awful coloured costume that does nothing but clash with whatever is in the room and you...you get the beautiful colour that goes with just about anything?" The blonde continued, indicating to the costume her girlfriend was wearing. "We've had this discussion on several occasions; don't make me remind you, again!" The brunette replied.

"I think it's going to be necessary if you expect me to go out looking like this!"

"Fine! You are dressed up as a beautiful Christmas tree and I am your gold star. You told me on our first date that I've always been your gold star because even on my saddest day I still shine. I shine brighter than anything or anyone you've ever known."

"My gold star" the blonde repeated softly as she stared into the brown eyes right in front of her.

"So, basically, tonight you're my bitch? What's a Christmas tree without a gold star?" The blonde joked breaking the comfortable silence.

"No chance, you should know by now how this relationship works...You are soooo my bitch." The brunette mocked.

"I can always look for an angel to accompany my tree." The blonde joked, enjoying the reaction she was getting from the brunette.

"If you keep this up, you're sleeping in the guest room, regardless of the fact it's Christmas."

"Oooh. A threat, I like it when you're feisty. You should know that by now!" The blonde winked.

"Trust me, I do know that, but right now's not really the time...Our guests will be getting restless downstairs, they're waiting for our grand entrance." The brunette blushed.

"Let's go make an appearance then... I still can't believe that I'm wearing this thing!"

"I'd rather you weren't wearing it, but again, now's not really the time." The brunette said as she rose from the bed, leaning up and capturing the blonde's lips in a brief but loving kiss. She locked their hands together as they made their way to the stairs. "I hope someone has got a more embarrassing costume than me, although I know I'm going to be berated regardless." The blonde mumbled. "Quinn Fabray! Stop mumbling like a child." The brunette scolded.

"How did I end up being bossed around by you again?"

"I think that's a story we'd all like to hear." A voice replied from the bottom of the stairs. The two turned to face the voice.

Kurt Hummel stood facing the pair dressed up as Rudolph with a questioning look on his face. "Oh Kurt!" Rachel gushed as she rushed down the stairs. "It feels like we haven't seen each other in years!"

"Rachel, I only moved out three months ago! It was the best move I ever made! Now I can get a decent night's sleep!" He joked. Rachel playfully slapped him on the arm. "Anyway, Mr Hummel, you know the story of Quinn and I, why would you want to hear it again? The first time we told you it, you almost threw up."

"I'm sorry; I didn't expect the former head cheerleader who tortured you, to be so well...nice." He replied. "Sorry Quinn." He added as she approached the two of them, she stopped and stood behind Rachel.

"For what?" She asked, oblivious to what the two were discussing.

"Oh, for almost vomiting when Rachel told me the story of you two."

"Hey, that's an epic love story." Quinn replied, arching her eyebrow and wrapping her arms around Rachel's waist. Rachel nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

"I'm not arguing I just didn't expect it." He quickly replied.

"We didn't expect it either, but here we are..." Rachel added.

"...As happy and as in love as possible" Quinn finished, tightening her arms around the smaller woman's waist. She lent down and gently brushed her lips against the brunette's neck, sending small shivers up her spine. "Ok, ok, ok. If I'm going to be spending my evening watching that, I'm definitely going to need another drink. Blaine! Blaine! Where are you? Get me another drink!" Kurt ordered, turning on his heel sharply to find his boyfriend.

"I have an amazing idea, it may make this night just that little bit more interesting." Quinn whispered.

"Ooooh! I like games!"

"I think we need to play the 'Lets make Kurt uncomfortable game'. We haven't played it since he moved out..."

"That's not a fair game..."

"You want to play though, don't you?" Quinn replied. The brunette struggled to suppress her growing smile. "I knew it." Quinn added smirking.

"You know Quinn, I much prefer being on your team, than being your opposition." Rachel whispered.

"Me too, but this game's fun!" Quinn replied.

"I prefer games where there is strategy and thinking involved, not simple games such as th-" She began, but was cut off when Quinn bent down and kissed her.

"1-0, Berry." Quinn whispered in her ear as she pulled away. Rachel turned around to see Kurt quickly looking away with a red blush in his cheeks.

"Oh game on Fabray!" Rachel ordered. With that she dragged Quinn over to the couch and sat down on Quinn's lap. "Story time!" She shouted gaining everyone's attention. The guests all sat down in the lounge, some on their loved one's knees like Rachel, others on the floor and some just loitered in any space they could find. Quinn scanned the room for Kurt who was sat on the floor eagerly anticipating what was coming.

"I thought that since this is the first of the annual Berry-Fabray Christmas parties-" Rachel began but was cut off by Quinn, "It's Fabray-Berry."

"I think not, may I remind you who's wearing the Christmas tree to my Gold Star this evening?" She jibed back. The room chuckled when they realised Rachel had a valid point. "Can I continue now?" Rachel added mockingly. Quinn simply nodded her head. "Before I was rudely interrupted, I wanted to welcome you all to the first annual Christmas party and I thought that since many of you in the room haven't seen us properly in years, that it'd be a great idea to fill you all in on how we all got to be here this fine evening." Quinn turned to see Kurt go a slight shade of pink in anticipation for the story he'd already heard. Quinn made a mental note that Rachel was a very strategic game player but Quinn had a few sneaky surprises hidden up her sleeve. Game on Berry, she thought.


	2. From Old Foes To New Friends

_We're jumping in our time machines and going back to the past now!  
>I'm not going to do a timeline, 'cos similarly to Glee I struggle with continuity. So I'll just warn you when we're back to the present...although that'll be obvious I think!<em>

_I hope you enjoy reading!_

**Klaine2314**

* * *

><p>Quinn Fabray sat at her desk looking at the same blank word document that she'd been looking at all morning. Three coffees later and she still lacked inspiration. She was going to receive an angry call from her editor at some point this morning, she'd promised to have something sent over to her office by lunch time and yet again Quinn was lacking the inspiration to write.<p>

Her first novel had sold exceptionally well, but all authors know that it's the second, third and even the fourth that really set you apart from the other novelists in the world. They're the novels that determine whether you have the ability to really make it in the industry or not. Quinn didn't want to be a failed author; she was desperate to achieve something in her life. She wanted her words to reach out to millions of people and have a meaning. She wanted the letters to jump out of the page and into someone's heart, well, one person in particular's heart. If it touched other people along the way then fantastic, but Quinn only wanted one person to read it. Their opinion mattered more than the all of the critics. Yet Quinn would probably never know if they'd read it or not.

Quinn's thoughts were disturbed by her mobile ringing beside her. '_This __is__ it__'_ she thought.

"Hello" She answered.

"Hey Quinn, its Lindsay."

"I know, I have one of those crazy things called caller I.D." Quinn jibed back playfully.

"Maybe you could put some of that eloquence to work and send me over something to edit. Not only are you close to losing your job, but so am I. I can't be your editor if I don't have anything to edit. Please, tell me you've written something." She pleaded. Quinn cringed when she looked at the blank document in front of her. "Well..." She mumbled.

"Well? Have you managed to write anything since we last spoke?"

"Honestly, no."

"Quinn!" Lindsay shouted. Quinn moved the phone away from her ear knowing her editor was about to go into full rant mode. "You'd better get started and send something over by this afternoon, otherwise when you do finally get something written you'll be searching for a new editor. This next book could make or break you..." Quinn moved the phone back to her ear just in time to agree with Lindsay. "I know, you've told me this on several occasions, but I just can't find the words."

"Well buy a dictionary and look every single one of them up if you have to. I need something, and I need it fast, Fabray! I'll call you later! Bye!" She said and hung up. Quinn stared at her phone as if it was going to explode like a bomb. _'__Shit. __I__'__m__ so __screwed__'_. She thought.

Rachel Berry sat in her dressing room staring at the pictures that surrounded the edge of her mirror. She was searching for the meaning to them, what had made her smile moments before they were taken? She longed so hard to remember but words were failing her. Her memories were failing her. She wanted to smile, the only smiling she did was on stage now; a natural smile seemed so foreign to her.

She opened the book on her lap and read the dedication. _'__To__ you:__ My__ words __are__ the__ moon __to__ your __shining__ star.__ The __meanings__ can__ fill__ up__ an __entire__ galaxy, __but__ to __you__ there__ is__ only __one__ meaning._' Rachel's eyes filled with tears as she read the dedication, she wanted someone to write meaningful things like that about her. She wanted someone or something to make her feel special. She once said that being apart of something special makes you special but as she grew up she realised she couldn't have been much more wrong. Being with someone special makes you special. Rachel had forgotten what it felt like to be special, to be loved and to be held.

The book had been delivered to her dressing room a few months ago. At first Rachel had just put it to one side and forgotten about it. She had so much on her plate that she didn't have time to read a magazine let alone a three hundred page novel. A month or so later Rachel had misplaced her spare script and even though she knew all of her lines and cues she liked to have a spare script handy in her dressing room. She began to search the room from top to bottom and stumbled across the book again. She picked it up and noticed something peculiar about the front. The title took up the cover but that wasn't the peculiar thing. Where the name of the author should be there was an envelope. Carefully she opened the envelope which had been fastened onto the cover on the opposite side so she didn't have to remove it. Inside the envelope was a letter that read: _'__Rachel,__ I__ thought __you__ could__ use__ this__ book __to__ help__ you__ realise __how __special__ you__ are.__ You__'__ve __always __been__ special__ to __me,__ I__ know __you __hear__ that__ all __the __time__ now, __but __know __that__ I__ genuinely__ mean__ it.__ Remove __the__ envelope__ from __the __front __to__ reveal__ the __author__ when__ it __all__ becomes __too __much,__ they__'__ll__ be __there__ waiting __for__ you__ and__ so __will__ I.__ Until __then ,__read__ it.__ I __hope __it __makes __everything __clear.__'_

Rachel was puzzled, she genuinely had no idea about who the book was from but she found herself lost in the author's words. Her lost script remained lost as she ventured into the author's world; falling deeper and deeper with every sentence, exactly like the author intended.

"Miss Berry? Its almost show time, are you all set?" Cassie asked popping her head around the door, pulling Rachel from her deep thoughts.

"Yes." Rachel simply replied. She was set for the show, but for nothing else. "Can you give me a minute? I'll be out shortly." She asked.

"Of course." Cassie replied, and with that she was gone. Rachel knew what she needed to do; she needed to meet the author who had written the beautiful words from her favourite book. She hoped meeting the author would lead her to the person who sent her the book, who had written equally as beautiful words in their message. Slowly Rachel closed the book, took a deep breath and peeled back the envelope. Her eyes widened when she saw the name emblazoned on the cover. "No way" was all she could mumble as her fingers traced over the title and moved onto the name she had just released from its prison. _'__From__ Old __Foes __to __New __Friends. __By __Quinn __Fabray__'_.


	3. Only Time Will Tell

Two hours later and Quinn was still sat at her desk, staring at a blank word document. She was going to lose her editor and for as much as she cared, she also didn't. She didn't want to have to force the words out for the sake of giving Lindsay something to do. She'd found the words we rushed where the words that had no meaning or depth. She wanted it to have both. It had been a year since her first novel was published, but the work had started a long time before that. She'd started writing it during college as a way to remind herself that something bigger and better was out there. She wanted to convey the hope she felt and found that writing was the only way she could manage that. She wanted others to benefit from the hope she conveyed. Well, she hoped one person would feel it more than others.

She stood up from her desk and moved to the bookshelf where her novel was sitting. She picked up the bound book and her fingers traced over the title _'__From __Old__ Foes__ to __New__ Friends_', the title was simple for her, it was exactly what she wanted to portray. Her characters were overcoming things Quinn had always dreamed of overcoming. She wanted to apologise for her past discrepancies and start a new chapter in her life, a year later and she was still waiting for that opportunity. She hoped the book she'd sent out had reached its correct recipient. _'__Only__ time__ will __tell__'_ Quinn thought as she put the book down and headed back to the computer. Inspiration had suddenly begun to flood her brain as the blank document began to fill with words. Not only was Quinn on her journey to redemption but so were the characters; infused with honesty from Quinn's past they never seemed more real.

Her mind became a blur as the plot sprung out of the page in front of her; she quickly jotted all of her ideas down and began to collate them. She typed the introductory chapters and even though they were rough, it was the exact direction Quinn wanted the novel to go in. She wanted to explore the internal struggles of her characters as they search for redemption. She saved it and emailed it to Lindsay hoping she would approve just as much as Quinn did. Quinn smiled a little smile to herself as she looked at the photograph in the frame on her desk. The two people in the picture were the people she wanted to make proud more than anything in the world. She hoped this would be the piece in the puzzle that would make her feel whole again. To have their pride instilled inside of her would finally complete everything.

"You were fantastic tonight, Rachel, as usual." Cassie said as Rachel made her way offstage.

"Thank you." Rachel simply replied, she wasn't in the mood for praise from someone who saw her perform every night. Rachel brushed past her and quickly entered her dressing room, locking the door behind her. She picked up the book again and stared at it absent-mindedly. _'__Quinn __is __the__ key __to __unlocking __my __own __happiness.__ How __did__ this __happen?__'_ Rachel thought. During her show her mind had been spinning, but fortunately, her body seemed to have a mind of its own as she moved seamlessly on stage without any immense effort. Rachel began to wonder what she could do next; she had to contact Quinn that was clear. If the former head cheerleader had any information on how Rachel could find out who the sender of her book was then she needed to find out. Rachel let out a heavy sigh; she'd managed to get this far without the help from anyone in Lima. She'd practically been left alone since she'd found fame. She only had Kurt now and by default she had Blaine. Lima was such a distant memory that she didn't want to tarnish what she had now by bringing more of its inhabitants back into her life, but this couldn't be avoided. If this brought Rachel happiness then she'd have to be grateful to the blonde who put her through so much hell.

Quinn looked at the clock in the corner of her screen, it read 19:35. She'd completely lost track of time. She'd been writing for almost six hours and the bones of the novel were coming together nicely. She knew Lindsay would have a lot to work with but there'd be enough to keep her off of her back just in case Quinn got writer's block again. Her phone buzzed beside her: **(1)**** New**** Message:**** Santana**. Quinn opened it, **"****Hey ****Q.**** I****'****m**** in**** town**** for**** a**** couple**** of**** days ****and**** we ****NEEDS**** to ****meet ****up! ****Reply ****soon**** or ****I****'****m**** going ****to**** go ****all ****KINDS**** of ****Lima**** Heights ****on**** your ****blonde ****ass. ****Xx****" **Quinn laughed, Santana never changed. She tapped out a short reply: _"__Hey__ S. __Text __me__ your __hotel __and__ we __can __go __for __dinner __tomorrow __night. __Q. __xXx__"_ Quinn saved her document and backed it up on a USB for extra measures, she couldn't afford to lose this and Lindsay would actually murder her if she lost it or deleted it, by accident or not. She closed her laptop down and moved into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and the freezer hoping to find something slightly edible for dinner, but to no avail. Instead Quinn poured herself another coffee and sat at the dining table contemplating ordering a take out. She wished for the day she had someone to share take out with, to share her happiness with but for now Quinn had no one.

Quinn took up writing not only to alleviate guilt from her past but as an escape from her mundane lifestyle. She was bored with dating, she was bored with the gossiping and she was just generally bored of the life she was leading. Her words helped her escape and become lost in a distant place. Her apartment was scattered with books, her guest room was being used as a library and was her safe haven. When she was angry she would go there and seek solace in the words of another. When words failed her, she always had someone else's to turn to. Someone else's to seek comfort in. She sought comfort in words where others sought comfort in music. She finished her coffee and washed the cup out, leaving it to drain on the side. She looked out of her apartment window and saw the busy street slowly quietening down as people evaded the busy lights of the city and made their way home.

Rachel left the theatre and for the first time avoided the stage door. She left through another exit in a hurry to get home. She jumped into her car, fastened her seat belt and left the parking lot without thinking. She was in such a rush that she didn't even put the radio on. If anyone stopped her now they'd know something was up. She rushed into her apartment and dived onto the couch with her laptop in hand. While it was loading, Rachel finally took the time to draw breath. She was desperate to find out who this mysterious person was, the only thing holding back her excitement even further was the fact she had to speak to Quinn Fabray first. That was a terrifying thought having to phone up her childhood tormentor for something that could eventually make her happy. Rachel searched online for any details for the publishers of Quinn's novel. She eventually found an email address and sent a quick email asking if she could be put in touch with the author, as soon as possible. She emphasised the urgency hoping that and her almost celebrity status would help the publishers pass on her details much faster. _'__Only__ time __will__ tell...__'_ Rachel thought as she pressed send.

Quinn was settling down to watch a film when her phone rang. She checked the caller I.D and wasn't shocked in the slightest to see it was Lindsay. "Hello" Quinn answered.

"Hello Quinn Fabray." Lindsay replied cheerfully.

"I take it the chapters I sent you were sufficient then." Quinn asked hopefully.

"Yes they were! I'm editing them as we speak, they definitely need work, but you have the basics for a brilliant novel there."

"Well thank you, I'm glad I've finally done something worthy." Quinn replied.

"Just because I'm praising you right now is not a sign that you should stop. I hope you've been working this afternoon; I'm not sitting here editing it for nothing you need to keep writing. Do not lose this inspiration, whatever you're working on, buy more and in vast quantities." Lindsay said. She spoke with such passion that simply made Quinn eager to write more. She liked impressing people, that's why she liked writing.

She liked people to see she was more than a pretty blonde former cheerleader.  
>"Don't worry, I've been working all afternoon and tomorrow I plan to write even more. I haven't been this inspired in so long. It feels good to be filling the pages up; I genuinely hope that it's all worth it." Quinn replied honestly.<p>

"Well, that's the reason I was calling actually...well mainly to congratulate you on your efforts, but then Tony got in touch with me this afternoon, I thought he was going to berate me for not having anything solid from you, but once I told him you'd sent me some phenomenal work he seemed to chirp up. He told me that someone's been in touch with him asking to either meet you or simply contact you. He told me that they'd emphasised it was urgent and that you know them. I asked for their name, and yes, Quinn you definitely know them." Lindsay explained.

"Well...are you going to give me their name?" Quinn asked, desperate to find out who this person was.

"No, I'm going to leave you with this though: Quinn for the past two years, you and I have worked together and I've noticed that the only time you feel inspired is when you read what you wrote for a certain person. They're the reason you have a published novel. I'll tell Trevor he can pass on your details ok, trust me, this isn't some crazy stalker. Goodbye Quinn." She told her, before hanging up before Quinn could say goodbye.

Quinn let the information circulate around her brain before it finally sunk in. The one person she'd wanted to meet for so long has finally read the words she wrote. _'__I __hope__ they __don__'__t __feel __let __down..__'_ Quinn thought. She settled back down and pressed play on the film but her thoughts were now elsewhere. _'__I__ hope __everything__ turns __out__ ok... only __time __will__ tell_'.


	4. Friends You Can Always Count On

"Table for two please. Under the name of Fabray." Quinn said as she approached the man on the desk.

"Right this way Ms Fabray." He said, ushering Quinn and her guest to their table.

"Smooth moves, Fabray, normally we've got to wait when we go somewhere high class like this." Santana mumbled as they followed the man. He pulled out their chairs and handed them the drinks menu. "Being a Fabray has finally paid off." Quinn replied.

"I'll say! You however, are well known in your own right." Santana noted.

"Yeah well..." Quinn mumbled as she blushed.

"Hey, quit blushing on me. I'm being serious here, Q. I'm proud of you, you know that right?" Santana quipped.

"I do, S. Thanks. It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here and I'm becoming proud of myself."

"It's about time. You deserve to feel good about yourself. That book of yours almost had me in tears by the time I'd finished it."

"Almost?" Quinn mocked.

"Ok, I'm a sucker for a happy ending, that's all I'm saying." Santana joked.

The waiter came over as the two women both ordered drinks and their food. The conversation shared between them was easy. Santana was one friend Quinn had refused to let go of. The jokes were easy and the atmosphere relaxed. Quinn was glad to still have someone like Santana in her life, she missed friendship. "On a serious note, Q, how're you doing?" Santana asked.

"Busy! I've just started writing my second novel. It's taken me ages to find the inspiration but I just looked at '_From __Old__ Foes __to__ New __Friends__'_ yesterday and the inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks. Lindsay, my editor, is really into it she reckons it could be bigger than my first novel." Quinn gushed.

"That's all great Q, but I asked how you're doing, not what you're doing. Have you found anyone yet? Anyone to share this joy with?" Santana replied, hoping to hear the same good things from the blonde.

"Well no, not yet. I've been too busy."

"Q, that's bull and you know it. Come on, spill. I can see it in your eyes, you have something major and you're not telling me. I thought we were close."

"We are San, you know you're my best friend and have been since we were what seven years old?"

"Yeah exactly and best friends don't keep secrets." Santana mocked in a child like voice.

"Ok..." Quinn sighed. "You've read my book right?" She asked and Santana nodded in agreement. "Well have you read the dedication?" Quinn asked.

"I think so, remind me what it says."

"It says 'To you: My words are the moon to your shining star. The meanings can fill up an entire galaxy, but to you there is only one meaning.' Well I wrote that for someone, but I left it ambiguous so it can be interpreted to each individual reader. I wanted each reader to interpret it in a different way, I wanted it to inspire them to read on and discover a hidden meaning...but more than that I wanted one certain person to read it and know it was directed at them and them alone."

"That makes sense but who knew Quinn Fabray was this deep? So come on, who's the lucky guy?" Santana asked desperate for answers. Quinn only shook her head. Santana's brow dropped and her eyes narrowed as she mouthed the words "No..." She took a moment to process until her brow raised and her eyes widened. "It's for a girl?" She whispered. Quinn only nodded.

"No freakin' way, Fabray." Santana said, her voice rising with shock.

"Shhh" Quinn whispered, hoping Santana's rising voice wasn't attracting unwanted attention to their table. "For how long?" Santana whispered.

"I'm not _out_ publically...but when I think about it, for a while I guess. I always thought I was straight, right through high school, but then when I got to college and took up writing and escaped from the mundane of dating guys and the gossip of which popular girl was dating which popular guy I realised that I wasn't interested in the guys, but the girls. I then spent my days writing the novel that would become the first one I got published, I mean, San, you've read it; it's literally me during high school, minus the pregnancy. It's about overcoming boundaries and forming proper relationships, you know, from foes to friends. I guess I wrote it about one person in particular..." Quinn trailed off hoping she wasn't going to have to spell it out for the Latina.

Quinn watched as Santana's eyes pointed towards the ceiling as she began to really evaluate what Quinn was saying. Her face didn't show any real emotion so Quinn was unsure how far she'd got to figuring it out. "It's about who I'm thinking of, isn't it?" Santana asked.

"How do I know? You haven't told me who you think." Quinn joked back a smile shooting across her face.

"It so is. You want her to be your gold star, don't you?" Santana jibed. Quinn just started laughing and nodded her head realising Santana had finally connected the dots. "Quinn Fabray, you are unbelievable. You tortured that poor soul for three years, then you write a book about...her." She said, lowering her voice as she got to the gender.

"Hey, you don't have to explain that to me. I just want her to realise that she's the dedication. I'm glad I can always count on you to make a joke about a pretty serious situation, San." Quinn laughed.

"I hope you've done something to ensure she does. You might have changed Q, but you can still scheme when required, well I hope you can." Quinn arched an eyebrow in response. Santana simply nodded, "Nice to see you haven't lost everything, Fabray. Now spill...you've been good at spilling so far this evening. I've got to know everything now!" Santana ordered.

Ping. Rachel's attention was brought from the TV to her laptop. The screen displayed **(1)****New**** Email**. Rachel wasn't getting her hopes up and expected it just to be junk, she'd only emailed the publishers yesterday, she expected them to busy, after all Quinn Fabray would only work for the best. She clicked open the email and read it: _'__Dear __Miss__ Berry,__ thank __you __for__ contacting__ Global__ Books__ Publishers.__ In__ regards __to __your __question, __we __have __spoken __to__ Miss__ Fabray __who __has __agreed __to__ meet __you. __Her__ editor__ Lindsay __Worthington__ will__ be__ in__ contact__ with __you __to__ pass __on__ her __details.__ I__ hope __this __has__ helped.__ Yours __sincerely, __Trevor__ Milton, __CEO__ of__ Global__ Books__ Publishers.__'_ Rachel was stunned; she hadn't expected such a fast response. Clearly Quinn wasn't as busy as Rachel had initially thought. All Rachel had to do now was wait for Lindsay to get in touch. She hoped she was as efficient as the CEO had been.

Rachel picked up her cell phone and dialled Kurt's number.

"Hello" A faint voice answered.

"Hey Kurt, I need your help." Rachel began.

"What's up? I'm still at work at the moment, but I'll be home soon, can it wait?"

"Err, I guess it can. I just really need your help. I wanted to make sure you were coming straight home and not going to see Blaine, because I really need my best friend. I know that sounds selfish." She admitted. "Don't worry; I'll be home in about an hour. Rachel, I hope everything's ok. You know you'll always have my shoulder when you cry, I'll never let go, Rach."

"Kurt, did you seriously just quote Bruno Mars?" Rachel laughed

"I certainly did, and it worked. You're laughing. It's been a while since I've heard you laugh, Rach. I'll be home soon!"

Bye." She said and they both hung up. Rachel hated relying on Kurt for advice, but he really was her only friend.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Song used: Count on Me - Bruno Mars.  
><strong>

**How is everyone finding this story? Its been keeping me occupied all day and I'm genuinely enjoying writing it. If you do have time, leave a little review, so I know how people are finding it.  
>Thanks!<br>Klaine2314**


	5. I Can't Wait To See The Real You

"That was a killer plan, Fabray." Santana said as they left the restaurant.

"I know, right. At least I know she'll have to speak to me first." Quinn agreed.

"It's good to see you've put some of that deep thinking into a deep plan!"

"I just hope everything works out. Lindsay's passing on my details at some point. I'm now playing the waiting game."

"I hope this works out for you Q, you deserve a shot at happiness." Santana said honestly.

"Thanks S." She said, pulling her friend into a hug. Santana hugged her longest friend back tightly, not wanting to let go. "You never know, next time I see you, you might have a Berry attached to your arm." She joked. "You're going to be totally whipped too, I can sense it." Santana added jokingly.

"You call it whipped, I'd call it love. We'll see. Goodbye Santana." She said waving as the Latina headed back into her hotel.

Quinn headed down the street deciding what she was going to say when she finally met up with Rachel. It'd been so long since the two had spoken, but Quinn kept reminding herself that she'd written a book about the brunette, surely that confirmed they'd have something to talk about. Even if it's Rachel telling Quinn that she doesn't feel that way about the blonde. That'd hurt, but they'd still have something to talk about.

"Are you pulling my leg?" Kurt asked shocked.

"Nope, I assure you. This is all legitimate. I am going to meet up with Quinn Fabray. The Quinn Fabray who pretty much made my life hell. Why would I joke about that Kurt?"

"I have no idea, but why?"

"Well you know that book that got delivered into my dressing room?" Kurt nodded in agreement. "...and you remember the note that I told you about; the note that accompanied it?" She continued, once again Kurt nodded his head in agreement. "Well, I finally had to remove the envelope; I had to meet the author who can help me meet the person who wants to make me feel special. I miss feeling special, Kurt. This person gave me Quinn's novel and they told me that the author would be waiting for me, when it all got too much, they know Quinn, Kurt. I have to meet her. I have to meet this mysterious person. Its all too much Kurt, I've never been so down."

"Hold on a second..." Kurt said, as he rose from the couch, he moved through the apartment the two shared and went into his bedroom. He emerged a minute later with a book in his hand. A purple book with yellow writing, on the cover in a cursive font it read _'__From__ Old__ Foes __to__ New__ Friends__'_. "Do you mean this book?" He asked. Rachel nodded when she recognised the title. "My copy is different to that, my book's leather bound with a black background and red writing..." She replied.

"You never told me the name of the novel, do you know that? Regardless of the cover, things get reprinted and rebranded all the time. If you had just told me the name of the novel, we could have solved this riddle a long time ago."

"I know, but the note said to leave it until it all became too much. I was just following their instructions."

"Rachel, when do you ever follow someone else's instructions?" Kurt teased.

"I resent that comment...but anyway, I'm waiting for an email or phone call from Quinn's editor Lindsay, who's going to pass on Quinn's details to me."

"Rachel, you have read this book right?" Kurt asked. Rachel's brow dropped as she studied the man's face. "Yes..." She finally responded. "Why?"

"Well, I was just wondering... You do understand what it's about, don't you?"

"Well of course, it's about overcoming issues and forming friendships and relationships in spite of differences and what happened in the past." She said.

"Right...Does that sound familiar?" Kurt questioned.

"Well, yeah, it happens to most kids in high school."

"Does it not sound any more familiar than that?" He probed further.

"Kurt, what are you getting at?"

"Nothing, I'm just making sure, you fully understand what the novel is about. Besides, I'm sure Quinn will explain some of the narrative choices when you two finally meet. I'm going to bed, I'm glad you're finally snapping out of this dark time, Rach, I really am. It hurts me to see my best friend so down in the dumps." He said as he pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks Kurt. It means a lot to know you're right here." She said tightening the embrace. "But what do you mean about Quinn explaining narrative choices?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." He said as he pulled away and left Rachel to sit on the couch and consider what he'd just said.

Quinn awoke the next day feeling fresher than she had in years. It was as if a tiny weight had been lifted off her chest. Someone finally knew about how she felt. She wished it was Rachel who knew how she felt but that would come in time. She showered and got ready for what she hoped would be a very productive day. After downing two cups of coffee she felt alert enough to tackle more of her latest novel. She opened the file and read what she'd written the day before to remind her of what path she wanted the novel to go down. She looked at the photograph beside her laptop for inspiration. The two smiling faces looking up at her was enough desire for Quinn to continue.

She wrote for the majority of the day, only stopping for the occasional coffee. Her phone had been on silent, so as she poured herself another cup, she popped it out of her pocket and gave it a quick glance. She was surprised to see she had no missed calls or messages, not even from Lindsay. Quinn figured she was still busy editing the first few chapters Quinn had sent her yesterday. She switched it from silent just in case Lindsay felt necessary to get in touch at some point during the day. As if her phone was reading her thoughts, her phone started ringing. The screen displayed **Unknown**** I.D.**

Quinn reluctantly answered it, she hated answering unknown callers. "Hello?" She greeted the unknown caller.

"Hello?" The caller replied.

"This is Quinn Fabray speaking, who am I talking to?" Quinn replied formally.

"Erm Quinn, its Rachel. Rachel Berry. Your editor passed on your cell phone number to me. She said you were fine with it."

"Oh hey, Rach." Quinn replied trying to keep her tone nonchalant. "Yeah, Lindsay mentioned you needed to speak to me. I must admit, I was pretty shocked." Quinn lied.

"Trust me, I wasn't planning on it." Rachel replied bluntly. "I remember how you treated me when we were younger and it kept putting me off getting in touch. It pains me to say this, but I need your help."

Quinn's heart sank. The brunette was still hurting from the way Quinn treated her when they were in high school. _'__Rightly__ so, __I__ was__ a__ bitch__'_. Quinn thought.

"Well, what can I help you with?" Quinn asked trying to lighten the mood with a cheery tone.

"I received your book anonymously a few months ago, there was an envelope with a pretty personal message in it and the person told me to remove the envelope from the front to reveal the author when it all got too much..." She trailed off.

"When what got too much, Rachel?" Quinn asked, noticing how Rachel had stopped.

"Everything. Listen Quinn, we don't really know each other, I'm not comfortable spilling my personal life to you, not even over the phone. I just want to know, do you know anything about this note? Did anyone contact you and warn you that I'd need to know about them?"

Quinn pondered her response, she hadn't thought this far ahead. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't sure Rachel would call once she saw who the author of the novel was. Quinn had purposely sent Rachel a different copy of the novel so she wouldn't see it in the bookshops and piece everything together so quickly. "Quinn? Are you still there?" Rachel's voice called through the phone.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm just thinking back. I've spoken to a lot of people and had a lot of requests the past year. When did you say this book came to you?" Quinn asked, hoping that would buy her a few more seconds of thinking time.

"About five months ago. I just ignored it to begin with. I only stumbled across it when I was looking for my spare script. I opened the note and they said that the author and they'd be waiting for when everything got too much." Rachel repeated. _'__There__ she __goes __again,__ mentioning__ something__ getting __too__ much.__ Quinn __why__ did__ you __have __to __be __such __a__ bitch __to __her __in __high __school?__'_ Quinn thought, silently reprimanding herself. She just wanted Rachel to open up.

"Quinn, you must know something, the book is completely different to the copy Kurt has."

"Rachel, books get rebranded all the time."

"Yes, but Quinn, you'll have had to approve it."

"Not necessarily, my editor can approve things on my behalf if she feels they're going to be beneficial." Quinn lied.

"Look Quinn, do you know anything or not?" Rachel said, her voice rising. Quinn could sense the little brunette was getting agitated.

"What colour was the book? I can remember someone coming in asking if it was possible to get one copy printed, but on a black leather bound book with red writing. Lindsay told me she'd approved it, I thought it was strange, as we'd had hundreds of thousands printed on the purple background with yellow writing, but I rolled with it. If it made someone happy then that was me happy at the end of the day." Quinn lied. She was feeling pretty confident in her lies, although she couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Is it a good thing to be able to tell lies?

"Yes! That's my book. My book's black leather bound with red cursive writing."

"I remember now, the person gave me an envelope and told me that I should meet up with you and deliver it in person, I know you're still angry with me Rachel, but would you be able to meet me somewhere? I don't want to fail this person's wishes. I'm not that sort of person anymore." Quinn assured her.

"Err. Quinn, I really don't know." She answered honestly.

"Rach, we're both adults now, do you not think we can let things go between us? I'm always going to be sorry for how I treated you and if I could take it back then I would, but I can't. All I can do is apologise for what I did. We were teenagers and had no idea where we belonged in the world. I'm confident in my expression when I say I'm at a place in my life where I'm confident in where I am, are you?" Quinn stated with conviction.

"I am. I guess, I can meet you and get this envelope. I have to admit it would be nice to see you Quinn. After all these years, I want to see the real you. The Quinn Fabray I always knew you'd become."

"Well, I'll text you a place and we can meet tomorrow? I really want rid of this envelope. I was worried you'd never call and collect it."

"Why would you be worried Quinn?" Rachel asked catching Quinn off guard.

"I don't know, I guess this person really wants you to know how they feel." Quinn lied.

"Oh ok. Well I'll see you at some point tomorrow Quinn. My show starts at 8pm, so mid morning would be great for me."

"No problem. Bye Rachel."

"Goodbye Quinn."

They both hung up and their reactions couldn't have been much more different. Quinn began jumping around the room whereas Rachel sank deeper into the couch. She'd been honest when she'd said she was looking forward to meeting the real Quinn Fabray, but part of her still expected Quinn to be the bitchy head cheerleader she was renowned for when they were teenagers. Quinn expected the small brunette to still be as loud, obnoxious and well diva-ish as she could remember from high school. Quinn reminded herself that they were the exact reasons she'd grown to love the diva. Regardless of how they felt, neither could wait until tomorrow.


	6. Coffee and Confessions

**Coffee and Confessions:**

Quinn slept a deep sleep that night whereas Rachel tossed and turned and barely dozed. Rachel's head was spinning with all the things she wanted to say to the blonde. She didn't know whether she should berate the cheerleader for how she'd treated her in the past or if she should let bygones be bygones and get to know the adult Quinn Fabray. The Quinn Fabray who'd published a novel about overcoming boundaries and forming proper friendships, Rachel believed that the Quinn she would soon be meeting is the one she'd have loved to have known and been friends with during high school.

Both awoke at similar times that morning, Quinn bounced out of bed and into the shower, whereas across the city, Kurt had to drag Rachel out of bed and throw her in the shower. Quinn had texted Rachel not long after their phone call and asked if they could meet at the coffee shop near her apartment. Quinn had picked an intimate coffee shop where she often visited when she needed some time that wasn't filled with books.

Quinn was the first to arrive at the coffee shop where she settled into her favourite corner and pulled out a book to read while she waited. She'd told Rachel to meet her at 11:00 and it was approaching 10:45. Quinn knew that the brunette would be either bang on time or late, she highly doubted she'd be early. Tucked safely in the bottom of the blonde's bag was the note that she was to give Rachel. She checked her phone for any messages from Lindsay, but once again, her editor appeared to be very busy. Quinn had sent her more work last night, just to keep her occupied today. Quinn didn't need her interrupting her time with Rachel.

The clock's hands slowly made their way around to eleven and Quinn began watching the doors, hoping for her first glimpse of the brunette she'd loved for so long. Quinn closed her book and put it back in her bag, unable to concentrate on the words anymore. The clock ticked on and shortly after 11:10 the doors opened and the diva made her grand entrance. She checked around the coffee shop and failed to see Quinn. The blonde stood up and waved her arms, catching the brunette's attention. Rachel made her way over to the table, as she walked over Quinn moved around the table to greet her.

"Hi." Quinn said as the diva approached. She bent down and captured the diva in a brief hug, she needed the diva to know that she wasn't going to hurt her.

"Hi Quinn." Rachel replied, leaning into the hug. All of the animosity Rachel intended on feeling suddenly jumped out of her thoughts. Quinn broke the connection and Rachel felt herself almost whimper at the loss of contact.

"How're you?" Quinn asked, hoping to keep the atmosphere light.

"I'm good, busy, but I'm good and you?"

"The same in all honesty." Quinn replied. There was an awkward silence between the two former foes as they tried to find some common ground now that they were both adults. The blonde suddenly stood up. "What are you drinking? I waited until you arrived before I ordered." She asked.

"Oh, herbal tea, I've got a show this evening, so I'm not permitted to drink coffee." The brunette replied.

Quinn moved over to the counter and briefly glanced back at the table she had just vacated. The brunette scanned the room; she was impressed at the blonde's choice. It was quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The blonde made her way back to the table as the brunette brought her purse out and tried to hand Quinn some money.

"Oh don't be silly. Put that away." The blonde said, waving her hands. "How do you want to do this?" She continued.

"This?" The brunette replied.

"Should we get what we came to do over and done with, or can we spend some time getting to know each other?" The blonde asked gently. She wanted the atmosphere to remain calm so Rachel would finally feel comfortable around her. That would be a fantastic start.

"Well I have a bit of time, so I guess I can stay and chat for a bit." She said with a slight smile.

"How did you get into writing for a living?" Rachel asked.

"Well I started in college and it let me escape from the boring college environment. I was sick of dating, sick of hearing the same gossip and I just needed to find somewhere that wasn't where I was. I'd always enjoyed reading and I was majoring in classic literature so I guess it sort of just came from that. I wanted people to escape from their life into my novel. I wanted my words to engulf them so that they forgot all semblance of time." The blonde explained. Quinn held onto Rachel's gaze as she spoke hoping to see the brunette's eyes light up as she spoke.

"I can definitely say that you managed that, Quinn. I was hooked from the first page. I don't know if that's to do with the mystery of not knowing who the sender was, or I was genuinely captured by what you'd written. I felt like I could relate to your protagonist which is something words often fail around me." Rachel replied enthusiastically.

Quinn felt her face begin to burn up, Rachel had enjoyed her novel and she'd been able to relate to the protagonist. _'__That__'__s__ exactly __what __I__ wanted __you __to__ feel.__'_ Quinn thought. They picked up their cups and sipped their drinks, figuring out what they should say next. Quinn was the first to speak.

"Are your dreams everything you hoped they'd be, Rachel?"

"Yes." The diva lied. "The stage, the music, the acting; it's everything I thought it would be."

"Can I ask you a question then?" The diva nodded in response.

"You said on the phone that the note had said to remove the envelope when it all got too much, but I don't understand, what was getting too much?"

"Just life." The diva replied bluntly.

"Care to expand?" Quinn asked eager to find out what was going on in the diva's immediate life.

"Not really. I think it's something that I can't explain until I've figured everything out." She replied honestly. She sipped her drink again, observing Quinn from the top of her cup.

"Rachel, I know that we have so much history that I could easily write a book on it..." Quinn began as she intently gazed at the brunette sitting across the table from her. _'__Actually __I__ did__ write__ a__ book__ about__ you,__ you __just__ haven__'__t__ figured__ that __out __yet__'_. Quinn thought before she continued. "...but I genuinely want to apologise for that, like I said on the phone, I was stupid and the pressures of being in high school and wanting the popularity got to me. I wish I could take it all back, but would we both be sat here today if I hadn't?"

"What do you mean Quinn?" The brunette asked hoping that Quinn would continue with her apology, Rachel felt that's the least she deserved.

"If I hadn't been so mean to you and watched how you overcame that and how you forged stronger friendships, friendships I could only dream about then would we be sitting here today?"

"I'm still not sure I follow..." The brunette said. Quinn was trying to tell her something and she just couldn't piece it together.

'_Do__ I __have __to__ spell__ it__ out __for __you?__'_ Quinn thought. She watched as the diva tried to figure everything out.

Quinn sighed. "Rachel, the book's about you."


	7. Beyond The Surface

******To the amazing people who are reading this story, the response has been staggering.  
>Thank you to all the people who have reviewed, favourite or added a story alert.<br>I hope to keep living up to what you expect in the following chapters.  
>I'm adding in the line breaks so we know when we're in the future. When the girls are playing their game its often a sign they're in the present...for now anyway! ;)<strong>

**Anyway, I finished this chapter late last night, but my eyes were so sore so I've saved it for this morning. (I'm a UK poster btw!)  
>All the best,<strong>

**Klaine2314  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Beyond The Surface:<strong>

"I soooo knew it was about Rachel! Once she'd told me who'd written the book, everything began to fit into place. I must admit I was shocked when I realised the truth though!" Kurt chimed from his place on the floor. "Yeah, you could have warned me what was going to happen though! For my best friend, you sucked then, you know!" Rachel spat back playfully.

"Warned you?" Quinn joked.

"Yes, warned me that I was about to fall head over heels in love with you." Rachel gushed.

"Nice save." Kurt noted. Rachel leaned back and kissed her girlfriend tenderly. Quinn's eyes fluttered closed at the contact and she had to force herself to keep her hands to herself. Rachel sat forward and faced their guests. Kurt was sat with his back to the couple trying to talk to anyone who would listen. "1-1, Fabray." Rachel whispered.

"Come on you two, keep going." A voice called from the back of the room.

"Oh if you insist." Rachel joked as she recalled what happened next.

* * *

><p>The diva's jaw dropped. Her eyebrows raised and her eyes were wide. She kept her eyes locked on Quinn's. "What?" She finally uttered.<p>

"It's about you."

"For as long as I can remember you've made me unhappy, what would possess you to write a book about me and by extension, you?"

"Rachel, I said to you I was sorry for how I made you feel. I immortalised my apology in words because I know that no matter how many times I apologise verbally it'll never be enough. I made you and me as the title characters because I wrote how I should have acted during high school. I'm filled with guilt and you are the key to redemption." Quinn explained.

"Quinn, you make it sound like a love story..." Rachel uttered. Quinn locked onto her gaze like she had for the majority of the conversation.

"It is a love story." She replied directly. Rachel avoided her gaze, her cheeks beginning to go a slight shade of pink.

"How many times have you read it, Rachel?" She asked.

"I think I've lost count." The diva admitted.

"What meaning does it have to you?" The blonde continued.

"I think I've always believed it should be a love story, but the two characters are female, so I always saw it as friendship more than a relationship." Rachel explained. "I was always rooting for the two girls to get together. That never happens in books you know?"

"That's why they don't they never got together explicitly. The world still looks at gay relationships with a hateful passion." The blonde clarified. "Just because it doesn't happen explicitly doesn't mean it doesn't happen at all. Just because the world can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. There are lots of things we don't see, things that go on behind closed doors that we're unaware of but just because we don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist." Quinn explained further.

She looked up into the brunette's brown eyes that were concentrating intently on her. "Do you remember what the dedication said at the front?" Quinn asked. Rachel slowly nodded her head.

"Tell me." Quinn asked.

"It says: 'To you: My words are the moon to your shining star. The meanings can fill up an entire galaxy, but to you there is only one meaning.'" The brunette remembered from memory. The dedication came as naturally to her as the lines for her show.

"Do you see what I mean about interpretations filling an entire galaxy?"

"Yes, now when I think about it, I definitely do..." Rachel said, she slowly trailed off as she began to fully absorb what Quinn had explained to her.

Quinn looked at her watch, it was twelve thirty. "Rachel, I've really got to get going, I've got a meeting with the CEO at one thirty and I've still got a little bit of preparation to do." Quinn lied.

"I'll give you the envelope that you came for and maybe we can meet up again? You can let me know if things work out. I really want us to work things out, Rachel." Quinn continued, quickly gathering her things, hoping she would avoid Rachel's next question of who she meant when she addressed the 'you'.

She reached down into her bag, pulled out the envelope and slowly slid it across the table to her. Rachel reached down and accepted it, their hands touching but only slightly. At the contact Rachel looked up into Quinn's eyes and smiled. Quinn smiled back and removed her hand gently. Once again, Rachel found herself almost whimpering at the loss of contact between the two.

"Goodbye Rachel." Quinn said as she got up from the table.

"Thanks Quinn and goodbye." The brunette simply replied. She watched Quinn leave the coffee shop. As she lost sight of the blonde, she let out a deep sigh as her brain continued to process the information Quinn had just bestowed upon her.

* * *

><p>"I like this next part." Kurt chimed in clapping his hands enthusiastically, interrupting the brunette once again.<p>

"KURT!" The room chorused.

"Sorry." He mumbled blushing furiously.

"Oh you will be!" Quinn said, as she kissed the brunette's neck again. Kurt's face turned a deeper shade of scarlet. "That'll get him back for interrupting you, baby." Quinn whispered into her girlfriend's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Rachel's hand fumbled over the envelope, debating whether or not she should open it. Before she'd met up with Quinn she was excited to find out who the mysterious sender was, but now she'd met the blonde, she really wasn't sure. She packed the letter away into her bag and left the coffee shop. She slowly traced her steps back to her apartment. It was close to one thirty when she got back. She opened the door and yelled "Kurt!" The man's head peered from around his bedroom door.<p>

"You called?" He replied.

"Emergency house meeting now!" She ordered. Kurt's face dropped and his mind began to race.

"What have I done now? Or not done?" He began muttering under his breath. He made his way into the lounge where Rachel was already seated. She had the envelope on her lap and was staring at it as if it was going to explode.

"Rachel, what's going on?" Kurt asked, fixing his hair as he sat down on the couch next to the brunette.

"I went and met Quinn today..." She began. Kurt fixed his gaze onto her, anticipating the story she was about to tell. "She gave me this envelope, just like the sender said she would. I haven't opened it and I don't think I've got the strength to." Kurt knew she was being overly-dramatic.

"Rachel, explain what happened, then I can evaluate whether you are simply being over dramatic or not."

"Quinn and I met up today. We caught up on what's been going on lately, like friends. It was how I wanted it to be when we were younger, it was friendly and calm. We spoke about her book and how it can have so many different meanings. I told her how I'd hoped it was a love story and she told me that it could be, just because it didn't happen explicitly doesn't stop it being a possibility. She explained that the story was about me, and the problems the pair of us overcame as youths. She said immortalising her words would act as a stronger apology than repeating the words over and over again."

"I'm impressed with the eloquence of our former head cheerleader. I also remember distinctly telling you she'd justify some of her narrative choices. I'm glad you finally know that the story is about you though, Rachel. For a while I thought you were never going to get it."

"You knew?" Rachel responded with a shocked look on her face.

"Well, I only figured it out yesterday. Once you told me the name of the novel, the pieces started to slot together. Answer me this, why haven't you opened that envelope?"

"I honestly don't know. When Quinn hugged me today, that was the closest I've ever been to her and I almost whimpered when the contact ended. It was like a wave of warmth washed over me, something I haven't felt in a long time. It's like I want to be close to Quinn but once I open this and go on to meet the sender then I'm leaving Quinn behind. She's the stepping stone to happiness, or she was, until earlier today."

"Rachel, what have you got to lose by opening it?"

"See, that's just it. I don't think I have anything to lose...I just don't want to be let down by this now. I've met the new Quinn Fabray and she was far from a disappointment, what if the sender doesn't live up to the expectations I've been hoping for."

"What if they're better though? Didn't Quinn write something about taking chances?"

"We can only get through this if we try. If we try to seek something that we can't yet see; something lost; something hidden. Opportunities show themselves when we truly begin to look for them." The diva recited from memory. Kurt was right. She had nothing to lose.

"Rachel, you're going to kill yourself if you don't open this." Rachel glared at him. "Not literally! Gosh woman! Open the envelope and stop being so overdramatic!" He added.

"I'm a performer, being overdramatic is what I do best." She spat back before taking a deep breath and opening the envelope. She took another deep breath and began to read:

"_Dearest Rachel, if you're reading this then I know everything has become too much for you. I never wanted you to feel this way, so I guess there's a part of me that never wants you to read this. I've waited for you for so long. The way Quinn created two characters that were so similar to a situation I once found myself in was extraordinary. I'd never imagined fitting a role so perfectly._

_The story Quinn told was uplifting and inspirational. It reminded me that there's always another chance for us, if we take it...and if the people we love allow us to take it. I hope you give me this chance Rachel. You've come so far to finally discovering who I am. You've had to speak to your high school tormentor, don't give up now Rachel. I've waited for you after every show, opposite the stage door, hoping one day you'll notice me. _

_I know you've believed in the words Quinn used and the story she told, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this now. I've known Quinn for many years and every word she wrote was infused with honesty and regret. Her dedication made me see that we have to look past the first meaning we see and always look for something deeper, that's when I discovered how I truly felt about you._

_I hope to see you soon, Rachel. _

_Yours,_

_F. xXx"_

Rachel read and re-read the letter, trying to deduce more from its words. It was well-written and avoided so many questions that the diva didn't know what to think. "Well?" Kurt asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"They've been waiting for me after every show. I've been too caught up in what's right in front of me to see past that. That's what they mean by 'To look past the first meaning we see and look for something deeper'." She told him.

She dived off the couch and ran to her bedroom. "Looking forward to tonight's show then Rachel?" Kurt shouted through to her. "More than you'll ever know!" She called back.

"Hey, I might make an appearance tonight; check out this admirer of yours. Make sure they're suitable for you." He mocked.

"You'll do no such thing. I'm sure he'll be perfect. He has been thus far!"

Kurt simply chuckled to himself. His best friend might have been oblivious to who her secret admirer was but Kurt had a pretty intelligent idea. It was only a matter of time before his theory was proven correct.


	8. It's You

**A/N: This chapter's a bit jumpy as I wanted to have the reveal in the next chapter, so this is just a mix from both perspectives!  
>Enjoy!<br>**

**-Klaine2314**

* * *

><p><strong>It's You:<strong>

Quinn made her way back to her apartment in a daze. She was sure Rachel had felt something when their hands had touched. The way Rachel gazed into her eyes told her that there was definitely something there. It wasn't a look of animosity but a look of hope and longing. Quinn hoped that the brunette would read the letter and begin to put the pieces together.

Quinn opened her laptop and continued writing. Just speaking to the diva had inspired her enough to write the second novel. The first draft was coming along nicely and the bare bones of the plot were now strung together. She sent a copy to Lindsay who she hoped would have lots to say. Quinn knew there was nowhere near enough detail to satisfy her editor's demands, but she didn't care. She was inspired enough to write another book, something she never thought she'd be able to do. The brick wall had hit her like dramatically after 'From Old Foes to New Friends' had been published, she just couldn't fathom out a decent plot line and deep characters that would set her apart from all the other aspiring authors. Nothing she wrote was as deep and as meaningful as the words she'd used the first time around, everything just sounded repeated until a few days ago. The words were no longer forced and her fingers typed like they had a life of their own. Pages upon pages that soon became chapters upon chapters. Quinn believed in every single word she was writing, once again, she seemed to be writing about herself and her struggles.

She reclined in her chair and read what she'd written. She was proud of it, even if Lindsay wasn't; Quinn knew she'd done something pretty good. Whether it got published or not she'd be proud of it. Her laptop bleeped pulling her focus back to reality. **(1)****New**** Email**. Quinn clicked on the icon and checked the recipient: **Lindsay**** Worthington**. Quinn could never fault her editor's enthusiasm and quick work ethic.

"_Hey__ Quinn,__ I__'__m __just __dropping __you __a __quick __email __to __tell__ you __how __much __I __love__ your__ latest__ work!__ There__ is__ a __lot __we __can __do __to __improve __it__ and__ we__'__ll __be __spending__ many__ hours __discussing __description,__ depth__ to__ your__ characters__ and__ some__ of__ your__ narrative __choices. __I__'__ve __forwarded __it __to __Trevor__ and__ I__'__m__ awaiting__ a __response,__ hopefully__ he__ loves__ it__ just__ as__ much__ as __me!__ I__ can__'__t__ see__ him __opposing __publishing __something__ as __brilliant__ as__ this.__ I__ have__ a__ feeling__ I__ know__ who__ the__ inspiration __for__ it__ is,__ but __I__ shall__ wait__ and__ ask __you __when __we__ next __meet __in__ person. I'd suggest working on the dedication, this one's sure to be published once we've worked out the kinks and again, spent many hours debating how we can extend the plotline. _

_As your editor, I command you to take the evening off! Go out and do something fun, you're only young once! You've earned it! Congratulations again, Quinn. We'll talk soon!_

_- Lindsay."_

Quinn spun around excitedly on her office chair. Lindsay loved it! She did as she was commanded and switched her laptop off. She'd be spending many hours looking at the screen over the coming months, Lindsay was right, she deserved the night off. Quinn knew exactly how she was going to spend it.

Rachel waltzed into her dressing room happier than she had been in months. She used to dread coming into the bleak dressing room, but tonight, she could hardly wait to see the four walls. She used to think of her dressing room as her private sanctuary, a place where only she was allowed, a place where she could spend time alone just reflecting on what she had accomplished, however it had become a place Rachel soon began to hate for the very same reason. She hated walking in and it being empty, there was no one to talk to. She was distant from her cast and crew. Cassie would occasionally pop her head in to see if Rachel wanted to talk but more often than not Rachel sat alone in the star's dressing room. She was anxious for her contract to be over.

She walked over to her dressing room table and looked at the pictures just like she had days before and this time they spoke to her. They spoke to her in a way they hadn't for so long. Rachel was filled with warmth as she remembered what they represented. She looked over the words that her mysterious admirer had sent her months ago and her heart raced. She couldn't wait to meet him. Her mind raced back to earlier in the day, she kept forgetting she'd only spoken to Quinn a few hours ago, her day had flown past. Rachel couldn't pinpoint what she'd felt as her hand had touched the blonde's. It was something she'd never felt before; similar to when you get an electric shock. You shouldn't really enjoy it but you've never felt it before so you hope to be able to do it again. No matter how hard you try, you can't do it again. The brunette picked up her iPod, put in the earphones and closed her eyes as hair and makeup came in to prepare her for the show.

Quinn got out of the shower and began to get ready for her night of fun. She picked out her favourite dress and heels. She switched her phone off; she didn't want anyone interrupting her this evening. Slowly she left the apartment block and made her way out onto the busy streets.

Rachel put on her first costume and made her way to the stage wings. She ran over the first scene in her head, ensuring she knew all of her lines. She could hear the audience chattering away in front of the curtain.

"Hurry up, Miss. The show's about to start." A man told Quinn as she put her money away. She handed him her ticket and he handed her the remaining stub. _'__That__'__s__ another __one __for __the __collection__'_ thought Quinn. She walked up the steps and entered the dress circle, another man showed her to her seat. Quickly she sat down as the lights began to fade. The audience became silent as they waited for the curtain to rise.

Rachel heard the audience's conversation die down as the lights went down. _'__This__ is __it. __Another __audience, __another __show__'_. Rachel thought. The curtain went up and Rachel stepped on stage ready to open another show.

The curtain raised and there she was. Rachel Berry in all her stage glory. Quinn took a sharp breath as the object of her desires opened another show. Quinn was lost in Rachel. She tried so hard to follow the plot of the play, but when Rachel was on stage the blonde found herself drawn to wherever the diva was. She listened intently as she sang and whenever she spoke.

The first act was a distant blur to Rachel as she sat down in her dressing room during the interval. Rachel hated herself for wishing another show away. _'__One__ act __down, __one __to__ go._' She hated wishing her dream away but the brunette believed that where one dream ends another begins. She was putting all her hope on the mysterious sender that she was wishing her dream away.

Quinn took a moment to contain herself. _'__One__ act __down,__one __to__ go.__'_ She thought. She tried to count how many times she'd seen Rachel in this show, but she couldn't remember. After speaking to the diva only this morning, Quinn found herself longing to talk to her again. Every time the blonde had wanted to contact the diva, she'd come here. She'd sat and watched Rachel perform her heart out knowing that this would be the closest she would ever get to the brunette again.

The lights flashed in Rachel's dressing room and she made her way to the wings again, ready for the second act. The lights went down in the theatre and once again the audience's conversations soon became whispers and then turned into silence as the curtain rose again. Quinn focused only on the diva and the diva focused on the spot right in the centre of the audience. Quinn gazed deeply into the diva's eyes and at times it felt like the diva was gazing right back.

Once they'd received their applause, Rachel rushed to her dressing room and got changed. She grabbed her coat and the notes from her admirer. She exited the stage door where people had begun to congregate as she hurriedly posed for photographs and signed autographs.

Quinn was one of the first to leave the theatre when the show was over. She needed to avoid the diva for a little bit longer. She rushed past the stage door and asked someone if Rachel had left yet, they simply shook their head in response, never taking their eyes off the stage door in case they missed something. _'__Excellent__'_ thought Quinn.

Quinn made her way across the road and watched as the stage door began to open. The cast began to spill out and Quinn longed to see the short brunette haired diva. Eventually Rachel emerged looking flustered. Quinn laughed as she signed autographs and posed for pictures, knowing that the diva was desperate to get away. Finally the diva broke free and with her head down she crossed the road.

Quinn's heart began to beat faster and faster. It began to get louder and louder. Quinn was worried that if it got any louder then people would notice that she was just stood there gazing over the road. Rachel stopped and stood on the corner of the street hoping that she wasn't too late. Quinn began to make her way down the street, slowly and quietly as to avoid attention. The distance between the two was tiny and as Quinn continued to walk, the diva turned around.

Quinn continued walking towards her, a smile spread across her face. "Quinn?" The diva mumbled.

"Rachel." The blonde replied before wrapping the diva in a hug.

The diva looked up at her startled and all she could utter was "It's you?"


	9. You've Always Been My Shining Star

**You've Always Been My Shining Star:**

"It's you..." The diva repeated. Rachel was speechless, she didn't expect the mysterious man to be female, but she also didn't expect it to be Quinn Fabray of all people.

"It's me, Rachel. To me however, it's always been you." The blonde finally said as she released the brunette from the embrace.

"Can we go somewhere a little quieter?" Quinn asked. The diva couldn't speak, so she simply nodded her head in response.

The pair set off down the street in silence. Quinn didn't know what to say, she kept her hands firmly in her jacket pocket unaware of what the diva would do if she accidentally touched her. Several times the diva looked at the woman walking next to her and felt a smile breaking across her face. As they walked Rachel tried to process everything. She couldn't seem to get her head around the blonde walking beside her. The blonde who had isolated her and tortured her during high school was now walking seamlessly beside her and had unknowingly so helped the diva through her darkest times when she simply hated life and her dreams.

They arrived at a small coffee shop and Quinn held the door open as Rachel entered first. They ordered their drinks and continued walking through the city. They made their way to a small park and found a vacant bench. It was a crisp October night and the moon was out. They sipped their coffees both figuring out what they should say. Quinn decided she should be the one to make to open the conversation, funnily enough, at the same time so did Rachel.

"I sh-" Quinn began.

"Wha-" The diva began.

"Sorry, you start." Quinn laughed, knowing the diva was going to take control of the conversation anyway.

"What's going on, Quinn?" She asked simply.

"Well, it's a long story, where would you like me to start?"

"Preferably from the beginning..." The diva replied. Quinn inhaled deeply and began working out what she should say and how she should say it.

"Well, as I told you this morning, I wrote my novel during college to escape my boring life. The words of other authors captivated me. I wanted to do the same to other people. I revisited my life during high school and felt that the only way I could alleviate some of the guilt was by writing the novel about me and you.

I wrote about friendship and about redemption, but I wrote about more than that. I wrote a love story that only by the truest of reader and the deepest of romantics would notice. Rachel, you were the inspiration for the novel. As I revisited the person I used to be, I tried to find the cause of the anger. You were the cause, but not for the reasons you're thinking. I disliked you because I wanted you. I wanted to be friends with you but I couldn't be. I knew a part of me would always want more, that's why I rejected your offers for friendship...until senior year. When I saw you and Finn together it broke my heart but I realised that you and I were never going to be together, so I thought why couldn't we be friends? If your interests were elsewhere there was nothing to risk by having a friendship.

When I truly thought about this it inspired me to write a character around you Rachel. A character with such grace and love that it fills the reader's heart and inspires them to be more like you. Every word I used to describe you, I meant Rachel. I meant it when I said _"__The __girl__ before __me __has __the__ biggest __heart __that __I__'__ve __ever__ known.__ Her __beauty __and__ personality __illuminates __the __room.__ It __illuminates __the__ darkest __of __rooms__ and __the __darkest __of __nights.__"_

You inspired me to write such a deep and focused novel. I thought that if I wrote that then I'd feel better; I'd feel like I could inspire anyone to overcome their difficulties and that if the opportunity is there for forgiveness they should take it because life's too short." The blonde explained, playing with her own hands.

"How did you know that I needed to read that?" Rachel asked, desperate for a further explanation.

"I've followed your career Rachel. I've managed to siphon through the hundreds of fan sites online to find ones that have accurate reliable information on. I noticed that in interviews, your responses seemed shorter and more to the point. That's not the Rachel Berry I wrote about. The Rachel Berry I wrote about is loud. She babbles on and doesn't let you get a word in edgeways. Her confidence and enthusiasm bursts through anything: interviews, performances and even when she's out doing something simply like grocery shopping. So I figured you could do with reading my book, if you hadn't already.

I got a special copy published so that if you happened to show it to anyone they wouldn't really think much of it. I covered my name and wrote you a cryptic message so that you wouldn't be put off. I wanted you to need me, as selfish as that sounds, but I knew if I approached you, you'd be put off by our past. I wanted you to read my apology before I said it out loud and in person. I wrote the letter that I gave you yesterday a long time ago. The Quinn I referred to was the one I've grown into. The one I said I'd known for years is one you have known for years. I'm the Quinn Fabray you always thought I'd be. She's always been there and I guess I was just afraid of letting her out." The blonde finished.

She looked into the diva's brown eyes, searching for any recognition. The diva placed her hand over the blonde's and mumbled a very quiet "Thank you."

"To you: My words are the moon to your shining star. The meanings can fill up an entire galaxy, but to you there is only one meaning... Rachel, you've always been my shining star." The blonde whispered as she laced their fingers together so that their hands were joined.

The two sat on the bench for what seemed like hours in silence. Neither fully aware of what they should say next. Quinn felt like she'd said everything she'd needed to say since high school. The diva was evaluating what the blonde had told her. Quinn had just bared her heart and soul, something Rachel always hoped she'd be comfortable enough to do. Rachel realised that now it was her turn to do the same.

"Quinn, I'm having trouble forming the words to tell you how I feel about everything. I guess I should start at the beginning too, huh?" The diva began. Quinn gripped her hand tighter that silently said she was safe.

"I moved away from Lima when I was sixteen, and I've never fully looked back. I go back to visit my Dads but that's it. The only person I'm friends with properly is Kurt and by default, Blaine. The two are the only people from high school that I'm close to. I moved away from Lima and left everything behind me. I left Finn. I left the painful memories of high school..." Quinn cringed and turned her head away when Rachel mentioned her memories being painful. The diva noticed and placed her free hand on the blonde's cheek, turning her head back towards her.

"I left them behind and moved on. Everything about my life screamed high school, I wanted to start a fresh. Kurt and I excelled at NYADA. We moved into our own little apartment like we'd planned. Kurt's been my saviour these past couple of years. I got my first role off-Broadway during my final year at NYADA, so about, three years ago. Since then everything's spiralled out of control.

I moved onto Broadway pretty quickly and got lost somewhere along the way. I wanted to keep onto the Rachel Berry I had always known. The Rachel Berry who stood up for what she believed in, but I lost her. The second incarnation of me took over, a girl who couldn't find her place in the world. I was too caught up in my work that I couldn't stand back and appreciate what I'd done or what I was doing. I looked at the pictures on my dressing room mirror and tried to find my place in them, but I couldn't. Words failed me...and that's when I discovered your novel.

It captured me, Quinn. Your words reminded me of someone I used to know. They reminded me of the girl I used to be. The girl who was happy-go-lucky, who never thought something was out of reach no matter how many obstacles were in her way. I got lost in your words Quinn. Everything seemed to read perfectly. Once I'd read your novel, I had to read it again, to ensure I hadn't missed any little detail. I analysed the dedication and hoped that someone would write something as beautiful as that about me some day. To have your love immortalised in writing is magnificent and I realised that's what I was missing: love.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd truly loved something or someone. My passion and love for the stage has gone. I can't wait for the day my contract is over. I've never been so alone in all my life; even during high school I had the glee club and all of the other student groups I was involved in. I may not have had many friends, but I was never truly alone.

When I found out you were the one who had written something that had so much direct meaning to me, I was frightened Quinn. I won't lie. It terrified me. I hadn't worked out that the character was me, but I was terrified. You tormented me, but then you told me that the novel was about me and my feelings changed. I wanted to dislike you Quinn, I truly did, but the Quinn that met me earlier today was someone I always knew was there. I expected the mysterious person to be male and I was worried that he wouldn't live up to the high expectations I'd set for him...and in true fashion, he clearly hasn't." The diva finished, starting to chuckle as she finished her story.

"I can assure you, I'm definitely not male." Quinn replied, laughing with the diva.

"The point is, I'd built up this idea of you as the still bitchy ice queen I knew from high school and you surpassed those expectations. You are this warm, inspiring, beautiful woman that I knew you always would be. I'm going to keep saying that because it reminds me that I was right to want to be friends with you all those years ago. I didn't want the mystery man to let me down when I'd got so far."

"Apart from the fact I'm female have I let you down, Rach?" Quinn asked needing to know if she was wasting her time. They gazed into each other's eyes and slowly Rachel shook her head.

"Never." She finally uttered.

"Good." Quinn simply replied. Still holding onto the diva's gaze, Quinn slowly leaned forward and captured the brunette's lips.

The diva's stomach filled with warmth as Quinn kissed her. She released the blonde's hand and wrapped her hands around her neck, pulling her further into the kiss. Neither had experienced a kiss this desirable before. The kiss said everything that they couldn't. Quinn couldn't express her sorrow and regret any more than she already had, the kiss expressed those feelings to Rachel. Rachel couldn't express how grateful she was for Quinn; the kiss expressed those feelings to Quinn. Where words failed the kiss represented those feelings that they couldn't describe.

They broke apart and both had huge grins plastered across their faces. Quinn had finally kissed the woman of her dreams for the first time and Rachel was finally free of the demon that was preventing her from happiness.

"I guess this means I have to take you out on a date now then, huh?" Quinn joked.

"I wouldn't expect anything less!" Rachel joked back.

"Well, what about now? No time like the present. We've missed so much time together, that it'd be a shame to not take up on the time we have together right now." Quinn asked.

"Together?" Rachel questioned.

"I mean, if you want to, we still have a lot to learn about the adult versions of each other, but I'd like to explore the possibility of us being an 'us' and that can only really happen if we're 'together'" Quinn explained. She watched as the diva pondered her response.

"I'm not ready for anything to become public knowledge, Quinn. What was it you said earlier? Just because it's not explicit, doesn't mean it doesn't happen."

"To the outside world, we're just friends, but if I were to ask you what we were, what would your response be Rachel?" Quinn asked.

"You're someone that I can't label, Quinn. I'm looking forward to spending more time getting to know the real 'you'. I'll never be able to label you Quinn. Now I know how you truly feel I think you'll always deserve something more than any label." Rachel confessed. Quinn blushed at her confession.

"...and they say I'm a smooth talker!" Quinn joked.

"Oh you are! Do you know how many times I was in tears when I read your book?"

"No, but why don't you tell me over dinner? I know a great place not too far from here." Quinn replied.

She took the diva's hand and helped her off the bench. She held onto it as they walked down the street, knowing that if it all became too much the diva would pull away, but she never did. Instead Rachel held on tighter. She held onto the security that she was receiving from Quinn. They couldn't put a label on what they were yet, but whatever they were excited both of them immensely.


	10. Abnormal is the New Perfect

**I'm going to apologise in advance for how jumpy this chapter becomes.  
>I wanted to have both girls talking to their best friends at the same time and make the conversation chronological (So that where one ends, the other picks up yeah? I know you know, but thought I'd better explain anyway!)<strong>

**So if it's a bit jumpy and sometimes doesn't look like it makes sense, read it again, it definitely does. I tried to enter bigger page breaks but it wouldn't let me, so it just looks like loads of dialogue.**

**Anyway enjoy!**  
><strong>-Klaine2314<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Abnormal is the New Perfect:<strong>

Quinn had chosen to take Rachel to Gio's, a small Italian restaurant for their first date. She knew that they would both prefer a more intimate setting away from the busy streets. She led the diva down the side street and into the restaurant. Rachel took in her surroundings impressed with the blonde's choice of restaurant. Rachel had lived in the city for equally as long as Quinn and had never found this place. That was one of the reasons Rachel loved New York, you could spend most of your life here and still unlock more of its secrets every day.

The waiter showed them to a table in the corner and lit the candle that was placed in the centre. Quinn wanted nothing more to reach over and grab Rachel's hand but neither was ready for that. While they waited for their food their conversation was cheerful and they were both enjoying each other's company. "I can't believe I'm sat here with Rachel Berry..._on__ a__ date!_" Quinn whispered.

"I can't believe it either, I truly can't. If the high school versions of us had known this was going to happen maybe we would have worked through everything sooner." Rachel joked.

"Maybe, but then again, I wouldn't have written a love story about us, would I?"

"Nope, you'd just have ours to tell instead."

"I've still got ours to tell, I'll be telling our story for generations." The blonde replied. Their food arrived and both women began to eat in silence.

"You mentioned that you were looking forward to your contract being up, have you any ideas what you're going to do next?" Quinn eventually asked.

"I have no idea, I know what I want to do, and whether or not the opportunity arises is another matter."

"Well, what is it you want to do?"

"That's third date material..." The diva replied.

"Well, then I guess I've got something to look forward to." Quinn joked. Rachel smiled and the warmth filled the room and sent butterflies shooting in Quinn's stomach.

"You're so beautiful, but when you smile, I can't find the ways to describe how amazing it is. Don't stop smiling." Quinn confessed. Rachel smiled further as a pink tinge filled her cheeks.

"I haven't smiled much over the past year, I'll be honest. What you said earlier in the park, about me losing part of my personality in interviews and things was pretty accurate. Apart from the times I was on stage where I had to smile, I didn't. I didn't smile. I had no reason to smile, but Quinn, being here with you is the biggest reason to smile." Rachel admitted.

"Rachel, I don't ever want to give you a reason not to smile. Your smile is like a shining star. It can fill a room with so much light that the room illuminates. Even on your darkest day, you could shine, you could shine brighter than anything I've ever seen. You've always been my gold star, and I know its very early days, but I've got enough confidence in us to say that you'll always be my gold star. I'm not giving you up without a fight; I'd hate to lose my gold star."

"Hey don't jinx us." Rachel instructed.

"Sorry." The blonde mumbled. "Is this how our relationship's going to work? You tell me what to do?" She added.

"Hmm... Pretty much. Any problems with that?" Rachel joked.

"None from me..." Quinn replied.

"Hey, I've got a question." Rachel asked as they walked through the streets, later that evening.

"Go for it." Quinn replied as she wrapped her arm tighter around Rachel's waist, pulling her closer.

"Well, in the letter you gave me, you signed it 'F'... but who's 'F'?" Quinn burst out laughing when Rachel had finished.

"What?" Rachel added looking incredibly confused.

"I know it took you a while to piece together the story and its real meaning, but Rach, this is glaringly obvious." Quinn finally said through the laughter.

"Well?" The diva demanded.

"What letter does my surname begin with?" She asked. Quinn watched as Rachel realised what the 'F' stood for.

"Ohhhh! That makes sense, actually."

"I'm glad it does!" Quinn mocked.

"I can't believe how much has happened today, Quinn." Rachel said as Quinn walked her to her apartment door.

"I know, it's been crazy. Good but crazy."

"Definitely crazy...but definitely good too." The diva said as Quinn lent down and kissed her.

"Thank you for everything Quinn." Rachel said when the two broke apart.

"I'll see you soon, Rachel." Quinn said as she turned to leave. She was stopped as a hand reached out and pulled her back to face the door. Rachel stood up on her tiptoes and kissed the blonde deeper than before. The blonde was dumbstruck when they broke apart.

"Sometimes words don't convey everything." The diva simply said as she unlocked her door and went inside, leaving Quinn's world spinning as she stood in the hallway.

-#-

"Well..." Kurt said as he put his magazine on the coffee table. "Tell me everything. When did Miss Fabray reveal herself?"

"How did you...?" Rachel stammered.

"After our little chat this morning I began to piece things together, Quinn seemed like a potential suspect...and by your lack of denial, I clearly wasn't wrong!"

"You definitely weren't wrong. She was opposite the stage door just like the note said..." Rachel trailed off. "Well? Don't you dare leave me hanging Rachel, I demand to know everything!"

"Well...if you insist!"

Quinn's phone buzzed as she entered her apartment. **(1)****New**** Message:**** Santana.** Quinn chuckled to herself. **"****Well**** Fabray,**** did**** you**** man**** up**** and**** tell**** Berry?****" **Quinn went through her phonebook and clicked on the Latina's entry. It rang a few times before she picked up.

"Well?" She commanded.

"Hi to you as well, Santana." Quinn joked

"Screw hello's, I want all the details."

"Well, we met up this morning and had a chat over coffee, like friends would. I gave her the letter and quickly exited. My editor told me to go out and do something fun, so I got dressed up and went to see Rachel in her show for the however many time. Once it was over I went and waited opposite the stage door just like I have done for the past five months, since I sent her the book. She was a bit shocked when she realised that it was me..."

"I was dumbstruck when I saw Quinn standing there. I mean, all this time, I expected the sender to be a male, but nope, there was Quinn Fabray. I wasn't even the slightest bit disappointed. We went for coffee and sat in the park and pretty much opened up to each other. It wasn't awkward, it was friendly."

"Please, spare me the details of you and Quinn getting it on in the park please." He joked, feigning to vomit.

"Ew, Kurt, in public? Please!" She joked back.

"Please tell me you and Berry didn't get it on in the park, because I don't think I'll be able to visit there again."

"Santana, are you serious? Rachel and I are definitely not rushing anything, plus we were in public!"

"Don't act like it didn't cross your mind. I know you, Fabray."

"It never crossed my mind. I was interested in getting to know the adult Rachel Berry. You know we're not all horndogs like you, S." Quinn spat playfully.

"She asked me if she'd let me down, you know, being Quinn and not some knight in shining armour coming to whisk me away. When I shook my head, she whispered 'Good' and kissed me." Rachel remembered. So much had happened during the day that her head was spinning. "It was perfect, Kurt." She sighed.

"I made sure that I hadn't let her down, revealing myself to her and when she shook her head, I kissed her. You're going to call me a sap, but San, it was perfect." Quinn told the Latina.

"You make me want to vomit, Fabray, but I'm glad you're happy."

"We kissed a while longer; oh gosh I bet I sound like a teenage girl..." Rachel beamed.

"Hey Rachel, I haven't seen you smile this much and for this long off-stage for goodness knows how long. I'm not complaining!" Kurt retorted.

"She joked that she'd have to take me on a date now, as in right then, she said that we'd missed so much time together that there was no time like the present. I had to question what she meant by together, I wasn't sure if I was ready to put a label on us, or if I was ready to come out you know, until today, I'd never considered dating a woman before, but here I am. To the outside world, Quinn and I are friends, but to each other we're so much more." The diva grinned.

"We were discussing what we were to each other, after I brought up the subject, you know me San, I've got toknow exactly where I stand. She used something I'd said earlier in the day about just because it's not happening explicitly doesn't mean it's not happening at all. So I think we're together but to everyone else we're just friends who are getting reacquainted after years of silence."

"Q, I'm glad it's working out. I hope you did take her out, after months of playing chase, the girl deserves something at the end."

"Are you saying I'm not enough?" Quinn joked.

"I'll leave that for Berry to answer."

"Touché." Quinn simply replied.

"We went to this little Italian place. The setting was intimate and perfect for our first date. She told me that I'd always been her 'gold star' and that 'Even on my darkest day, I could shine, I could shine brighter than anything she's ever seen." The diva stated.

"I am very impressed. Her novel was very well written but I never had her down as that smooth of a talker." Kurt added.

"Me either, but Kurt, she was so much more than that. It was amazing."

"Are you going to tell me what happened outside the door, just before you came in, or should I live in blissful ignorance?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Rachel Berry, you came in with the biggest smile on your face. I think I might want to just plead ignorance to it."

"I was just...happy." She laughed.

"Hmm, of course." He said, raising his hands in defeat.

"The date was perfect, San. I walked her home, right to the door. Neither of us could believe how crazy today's been. I mean only this morning in her eyes I was still the bitchy former head cheerleader that tortured her and tonight well I'm her girlfriend...I think. I may have to get clarification on that one. Although, as I turned to leave, she grabbed me and pulled me into another kiss, a deep one. It completely took me by surprise when we broke apart she said that sometimes words weren't enough to convey everything."

"Q, spare me the gross details, I'm speechless though. I never had you pegged down as this sappy romantic, not after what you've been through. I hope Berry's your true source of happiness."

"Thanks S that means a lot coming from you. You never know you and Berry might have to meet up soon, I need my best friend's approval before I can commit." Quinn joked.

"You bet you do. I'd better go Q. Some of us have work in the morning; we all can't roll out of bed in the morning and work from home." Quinn laughed at the statement. It was true.

"Bye S."

"I'll see you around, Q." They both hung up and Quinn immediately began to think about Rachel. What was she doing? Was she asleep? _'__Oh__ god, __I__'__m __going__ to __be__ so __whipped__'_ Quinn thought as she made her way into her bedroom.

"It was perfect Kurt. I can't think of a better way to describe it. This morning I faced the person who made my life hell and tonight she's my girlfriend."

"I'd describe that as abnormal..." He joked.

"If abnormal has made me this happy, then abnormal is the new perfect."

"I'll drink to that...if we actually had drinks." He replied, pretending to raise his glass.

"I'd best go to bed, interviews tomorrow, I can't look tired for them, not now I have someone to impress when they watch them back."

"Rachel, I'm sure Quinn will tell you that you look beautiful regardless."

"Probably." Rachel shrugged nodding her head as she left the man in the lounge.

She entered her bedroom and lay down on her bed. She looked at the alarm clock, it was 23:45. _'__Is __it __too __late __to__ text__ her?__'_ Rachel thought. She grabbed her phone and tapped out a quick text. **'****Hey**** Quinn,**** I ****hope**** you****'****re ****not**** sleeping**** and**** this**** doesn****'****t**** wake ****you**** up, ****if**** it**** does**** I****'****m**** sorry.**** I ****just**** wanted**** to ****say**** goodnight.**** xx****"**

Quinn was turning down her bed when her phone beeped on her nightstand. She smiled when she saw the recipient. She typed out a reply as she got into bed. **'****You**** didn****'****t**** wake**** me.**** I**** was**** just**** getting**** into**** bed.**** Sleep**** well**** Rachel.****xx****' **She placed her phone back on the nightstand and closed her eyes. Rachel was lying in bed when her phone went off beside her. She smiled when she read the reply, suddenly she found herself missing the blonde. She put her phone on the nightstand and closed her eyes. Sleep was going to come easy to both women tonight.


	11. Pride and Joy

**A/N: Less frequent updates for now readers. It's starting to get difficult to think where I want this to go!  
>I'm not going to give up though!<br>I apologise if this chapter lacks focus, it's the best I could come up with. I hope you enjoy it all the same! :D**

**Best wishes,**

**-Klaine2314  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Pride and Joy<strong>:

* * *

><p>"That was the best first date I'd ever had." Rachel confessed.<p>

"I'm glad. I've had better..." The blonde joked. The diva dropped her brow and Quinn pulled her closer.

"I'm kidding." Quinn kissed the brunette's cheek.

"I can remember waiting outside the theatre that night thinking you weren't going to show."

"That's funny because I can remember thinking that you weren't going to be there. Well not you personally, but I didn't think anyone was going to be there."

"I'm so glad you came though."

"Me too. I can't imagine not being with you now. I don't want to imagine it either."

"What did I tell you in the restaurant?"

"I'll always be your gold star." The brunette whispered.

"I mean it, Rach." Quinn said as she kissed her cheek again.

"Guys, some of us want to hear the rest you know." A voice from behind them said.

"Sorry, we got lost in the moment. Sharing this story means so much to us." Rachel confessed.

* * *

><p>Rachel bounced into the kitchen the next morning happier than she could possibly remember. She didn't need coffee to give her a spring in her step; she had a natural spring in her step. One she couldn't ever remember having. <em>'So this is what being happy feels like.'<em> She thought to herself. Kurt watched the diva move around their apartment from his bedroom door. He watched her move as if she was floating on air. "Morning Rachel." He said as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Morning roomie!"

"How'd you sleep?"

"Amazingly. The best in a long time, you?"

"Oh same as usual, but I don't have any reason to sleep any better or worse than normal, unlike someone sitting across from me." He laughed. Rachel blushed. She knew it was true. After one date Rachel was like a giddy schoolgirl.

Quinn pulled her head from underneath the pillow and hit the alarm clock going off beside her. She forced her head back underneath the pillow and tried to get back to sleep but her body was having none of it. It knew it was daylight and therefore she had to get up. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and smiled a little smile as she sent a text to the first person on her mind. **"I just wanted to say morning and have fun on all those interviews today. You're going to be amazing as usual. Call me later to let me know how they went. xx" **

Quinn dragged herself out of bed and into the shower. She put the radio on and sang as she showered. She couldn't remember the last time she'd sang just for fun. It was something she'd stopped doing after she left high school. She'd found writing to be her creative outlet and that replaced singing, but this morning she felt revitalised...once she'd finally got out of bed. She got ready and went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. The street below was coming to life, she could hear cars driving past and children chattering as they made their way to school. Quinn loved how slowly paced her life was. She didn't have to be at the office for a certain time, she didn't have to drop anyone off or pick them up at a certain time. She was free to work from home and do what she loved for a living.

"Have a good day!" Kurt yelled as Rachel rushed out of the door. Despite being extremely alert and active this morning, Rachel had still managed to end up being late for her first interview of the day. She grabbed her keys, phone and purse as she left. She hoped that if traffic was quiet she'd make it there just a few minutes before the magazine company were set to arrive but if traffic was busy she'd most likely be late. Rachel hated being late. She prided herself on her punctuality and she also scolded anyone who turned up late. She often argued that if people agreed to a set time that they should adhere to it, being late often means you get to spend less time in the company of that person.

She got to the warehouse with a few minutes to spare. The magazine company had already arrived and the photography team were setting up the backdrops ready for the shoot. She checked her phone and saw the message from Quinn. She'd been too caught up in getting here on time that she hadn't checked her phone. **"Hey, been a blur of a morning and I still haven't managed to do anything constructive yet! Have a good day, Quinn. Speak soon! :) xx."** She switched her phone off and made her way over to the hair and make up chair. She knew it was going to be a long day.

'_It's going to be such a long day_._'_ Quinn thought. Quinn couldn't do anything constructive as she was still waiting for feedback from Lindsay. She wished she could have spoken to Rachel this morning, rather than just sending her a quick message; knowing that she was going to speak to the diva later on was the only thing Quinn had to look forward to. Her phone beeped on the coffee table, she picked it up and a smile shot across her face when she saw the sender. _'Definitely whipped'_. Quinn thought.

"So Rachel, thanks for agreeing to do this shoot for us. It's great to finally have you on board."

"The pleasure's all mine."

"Ready to dive in?"

"As always."

"The readership for the magazine is mid teenagers, so we're going to keep the questions very short and sweet, we hope that's ok." The journalist clarified.

"Definitely."

"You've been singing all of your life, what's your favourite song to sing in the shower?" Rachel nearly laughed at the question, it was simple and she could tell that the interview was going to be a quick one.

"I love singing things from Broadway when I'm in the shower, but I'm a fan of the charts too. I don't think I could pick a favourite, I love too many songs."

"Besides singing, what is your favourite thing to do?"

"My days off are filled with catching up on the TV I miss when I'm performing! Couch days are the best! Although me and my roommate often argue about what we're watching."

"Who usually wins the argument?"

"That's a tough one, we're both very stubborn. I like to think I win when I snatch the remote off him, but he just gets up and turns the TV off. We both sit there laughing for hours afterwards."

"Him? Are you two together?"

"Oh lord no! Kurt's my best friend from high school; I'm definitely not his type." Rachel laughed.

"Are you dating anyone?" The journalist asked, pushing Rachel for a definite answer. Rachel knew this would come up; she wasn't sure how to answer it. She didn't want to hurt Quinn by saying 'no' but she didn't want to lie either.

"I am." Rachel simply replied.

"Can you spill any details?"

"I can't. It's all very new and we're just starting out, so everything is top secret at the moment."

"No little hints?"

"I don't think they'd approve, they're quite a private person, as am I." Rachel informed them. The journalist nodded in understanding and decided it wouldn't be appropriate to continue pressing the topic.

"Some of our readers have written in with questions, so I'm going to ask a couple of those now. Larissa asks 'You've said before that you love reading, what's your favourite novel?'"

"Ooh, good question! I love romantic novels and I got given an amazing novel lately. It's called _'From Old Foes to New Friends'_ which was written by a friend of mine. When I was younger I loved reading the classics. _'Jane Eyre'_ was a favourite of mine for many years. I really loved reading _'Dracula'_ too. It's a step away from the usual things I read but I always think it's nice to branch out now and again."

"May asks 'If you could give advice to someone who wants to achieve their dreams, what would you say?'"

"Again, good question. If you work hard and focus strongly then everything is in touching distance. We have to work hard to get what we want."

"Thanks, Rachel. I think we have enough. We'll run it alongside a piece about the show. I hope the questions were ok."

"They were great. Thanks a lot." Rachel replied shaking hands with the journalist as she stood up.

Quinn was watching the lunchtime news when her phone beeped beside her. **(1) New Message: Rachel**. Quinn's face lit up. She hadn't expected the diva to text her again due to her hectic day but Quinn's stomach did a somersault when she saw the diva's name. **"Hey you, got asked if I was dating anyone, I simply said yes but they got no further details. I hope this is ok. xx" **Quinn's stomach did another somersault, she'd finally got the confirmation off Rachel that she'd been wanting.

Rachel was sat in her car getting ready to drive to the next interview when her phone beeped from the seat next to her. **(1) New Message: Quinn**. **"Totally fine by me. If my gold star's happy, then so am I. xx"** Rachel beamed, she loved how supportive Quinn was. Quinn was sacrificing her happiness for Rachel's. The brunette had dreamed of having someone who would do that for her.

The rest of Rachel's day went by without any hitches. Everyone was on time, much to her relief. Each interview was filled with the same style questions. Rachel just wanted to get home and call her girlfriend. Every time she called Quinn her girlfriend she blushed furiously. She darted into her bedroom when she got home and dialled the blonde's number.

"Hello there." The blonde answered. Rachel smiled when she heard Quinn's voice

"Hey!"

"How was your day?" Quinn asked.

"Crazy! I was almost late this morning, but I had done nothing to stop me being early, so that was a pain. I had a few interviews which by the end were just the same questions. I missed you though, is that silly?"

"Well I missed you too, so that makes us silly together."

"When did we both get so needy?"

"I have no idea, but I've got a feeling that I'm going to be so whipped it won't even be funny."

"Oh definitely. You're going to be my bitch. Sorry to tell you." Rachel joked. Both women burst out laughing.

"I love your laugh." Quinn said when she'd finally stopped laughing.

"I love your laugh." Rachel replied.

"Come over, we can just sit and laugh together." Quinn joked.

"Be there in ten. Text me your address." Rachel answered seriously.

"Are you serious?"

"Were you not?"

"Well, I didn't think you would, but you're welcome to come over."

"So, I'll be there in ten, then. See you soon."

"Bye." Quinn said as she hung up.

True to her word Rachel arrived at Quinn's in less than ten minutes. Quinn wasn't sure how she'd managed it but as soon as Quinn opened the door Rachel pounced on her locking her in a passionate kiss. "Hi." Quinn finally uttered when they broke apart.

"Hi." Rachel finally said once she'd caught her breath. Quinn took Rachel's hand and led her into her apartment.

"Your place is amazing, Quinn." Rachel stated as she admired Quinn's lounge. She moved to the bookcase and perused the novels on the shelf. She smiled as she saw Quinn's novel placed at one end. She picked it up and just traced the letters on the front cover. Quinn moved behind her and wrapped her arms around her.

"That's the first one that was published. Lindsay wrapped it up and gave it to me."

"I'm proud of you, Quinn. You made something of your life, the Quinn I knew at 17 was hell bent on staying in Lima and not achieving anything that she was truly capable of."

"Thank you. It means a lot to hear that from anyone, but you make it extra worthwhile Rachel. I've got something to show you. I've been waiting since my novel was published to show you, but I needed to hear you say those words first. Follow me."

Rachel followed Quinn with anticipation. Quinn led her into her office and round to her side of the desk. Quinn sat on the chair and pulled Rachel onto her lap. "As you can tell this is my office, I've just started working on my second novel. My editor has loved what I've sent her so far and we're hoping that it's good enough to be published. That's not what I wanted to show you though; I wanted to show you this." Quinn picked up the photo frame from her desk and stood it up.

In the frame was a picture of Quinn and Rachel during their final performance with the New Directions. They had their arms wrapped around each other's back and were smiling without a care in the world. "I don't think I've ever seen this picture before, Quinn."

"I don't even remember who took it but it's my favourite picture. Look how happy we were Rach. We were so proud back then. We were proud to be performing for the last time. We were proud of how far we ourselves had come, as friends, we'd overcome so much and until recently I'd never touched upon how proud I felt since this moment. I have it here on my desk so I can remember that moment when I'm struggling for inspiration. It inspires me because I want to make both of the people in the picture proud again." Quinn confessed. Rachel turned to face her and wrapped her arms around her neck pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I'm proud of you." She repeated.

"Thank you." Quinn whispered. She closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Rachel, taking in the scent of her girlfriend. She could sit like this forever if she could. Both women savoured the comfort and love they had for each other. Rachel was the first to break the embrace.

"Now, let me read this new novel of yours."

"Ah, not just yet, it's not quite complete. Even when it is complete, it's going to need a lot of work. It needs more detail, the characters need more depth and I need to develop the plot line."

"Whatever Fabray, let me read it. I'll tell you I love it regardless."

"Have patience."

"Have patience? You do know who you're talking to right?" She sniggered.

"Sorry, I forgot." Quinn laughed.

"Sooooooo?"

"Still nope, sorry baby, you're going to have to wait that little bit longer."

"Baby?" Rachel queried.

"Term of endearment."

"I know what it is, it just sounded cute."

"Well then mission complete. You, Rachel Berry are so cute it's unbelievable."

"Does this mean I can bat my eyelashes and you'll do pretty much whatever I ask?"

"I refuse to answer that, if I say 'yes' you'll begin working on it straight away and if I say 'no' then you'll use the cute factor until I admit defeat and say 'yes', am I correct?"

"You astound me with your perception; however I'm still going to try it." The diva joked batting her eyelashes. Quinn quickly averted her gaze and they exploded with laughter.

"You can be the first to read it, once the main bulk of it is done, how's that?" She finally said.

"I guess I can handle that."

"See compromising is easy." Quinn giggled.

"Better get working on the dedication, Fabray. You're going to have to think extra hard to beat the last one. I have high standards, you know."

"How do you know I'm dedicating it to you? I think Santana deserves something." Quinn jibed

"Trust me, you're dedicating it to me." She said as she rose from Quinn's lap and went back to the living room. Quinn followed and all she could think was _'Of course it's for you. The entire book is about you: again.'_


	12. Love Knows No Boundaries

**Hello!  
>This chapter has taken so long and I hope you all love it.<br>It's Christmas Day here in the UK now and I wanted this update done so you could all have it either for Christmas Eve, Hanukkah, Dwalhi or whatever else you may celebrate.**

**I hope you all have a brilliant holiday and I'll be back updating probably on the 26th!  
>All the best!<br>-Klaine2314  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Love Knows No Boundaries: <strong>

"Well, well, well. What time do we call this then?" Kurt announced as Rachel crept into their apartment.

"Gosh Kurt, you almost gave me a heart attack."

"Similar to the one I almost had when I saw you weren't home after midnight."

"I guess I just lost track of time."

"I figured that, I also guessed where you'd be. Care to clarify?" He joked. A grin flashed across Rachel's face.

"Quinn's." She stated.

"I thought as much. Now I've scolded you, details please." Rachel chuckled. This was why she loved living with Kurt, he couldn't be mad at her for long without wanting to know every detail of her evening.

"Well, nothing happened if that's what you want to know."

"Ew, no. Trust me, when it does... _happen_. I really do not want to know." He blushed.

"Oh Kurt." Rachel laughed.

"Do not 'Oh, Kurt' me... There are something's that a best friend really doesn't want to hear."

"It wasn't like that in high school." Rachel jibed.

"Ah but that was when we were sharing our first times, that was an important moment in our friendship, just before you stuffed the presidential ballot box, which was also an important moment in our friendship."

"Right, I get it. Anyway, like I said nothing happened. I just went over and we chatted. It's bizarre Kurt, I can't explain it."

"What?"

"I just want to see her all the time."

"Are you being dramatic again?" He sniggered.

"When am I not dramatic?" She taunted. "Seriously, right now, as much as I love talking to you Kurt, I want to be talking to her or even just sitting with her. I've never felt like this before, this..." She trailed off in search of the right word, before she could find it; Kurt mumbled "needy?" Rachel playfully slapped his arm and he started giggling.

"Honestly Rachel, you'll be moving in together soon!" Kurt joked.

"Don't tempt me, but then I'd have to kick your little butt out of here and I'm not sure I'm ready to lose you yet."

"Why would I have to go? This is our apartment." He giggled.

"Well maybe at that stage, someone will be ready to finally move in with his boyfriend!"

"Maybe I'll move him in here." He joked.

"Well maybe I'll move Quinn in... That'd be interesting. We're lucky to both have a bathroom adjoin our bedrooms because mornings would be a nightmare. I've noticed you take ages!" She laughed.

"Skin care is not something to be made fun of. We'll see when we're both fifty and I have perfect skin and you, well... I just hope Quinn likes wrinkles." Rachel huffed in response, but caught Kurt's eye and they both started laughing.

"Now I know you're home, I can finally sleep."

"Yeah, otherwise you'll be the one getting wrinkles." Rachel retorted. She hugged her best friend before he made his way into his bedroom and closed the door.

Rachel did the same. She got changed into her pyjamas and under the blankets on her bed. She snuggled down and found herself aching for Quinn. She knew the blonde was going to bed once she'd left, so she didn't want to text her, even to just say goodnight. She wasn't that whipped...yet. Instead Rachel slowly drifted off to sleep.

-#-

"Kurt?" Rachel asked the next morning over breakfast.

"Hmmm?" He replied not taking his eyes away from the newspaper.

"Does love have a timescale?"

"I'm not sure I follow."

"How quickly or slowly does love progress?"

"I think it depends on the person. If the connection between the two is real then it can happen suddenly. If people are hesitant at opening up their heart then it probably takes a bit longer. Love doesn't know any boundaries. It's the people who have boundaries but eventually love finds a way through. Why?"

"I think I'm falling in love, Kurt. I'm scared."

"Rachel, love's a wonderful thing. Never be scared of love."

"I'm scared of being vulnerable. I'm scared of being too open that I scare her away. I can't bear to lose her. I feel so stupid; we've been together for what? Two days? I already feel hooked. Last night it took me ages to sleep because my mind wouldn't stop racing. I've never been like this before Kurt."

"Being in love is about being open, Rach. It's about two people being open enough with each other to love and appreciate what they have. Love builds a bond between two people, it's scary and it's tough but it makes people stronger. Rachel, promise me you'll never be afraid of love." Rachel sat and thought about what her best friend was saying. Slowly, she nodded her head.

"Maybe you should speak with Quinn about how you feel. I'm not saying you need to tell her, but from what she wrote in her book, I think it's clear that she's in love with you too."

-#-

Quinn groaned as her alarm clock went off signalling the end of her peaceful state. She had a meeting with Trevor who had one word for her. Well he probably had several but Quinn was only interested in one word. It was either a 'yes' or a 'no'. She dragged herself out of bed and got ready for one of the biggest days of her career so far. The reviews Lindsay had given her were good so far, but she hadn't given Quinn a definite answer as to whether or not she was definitely going to have another book published.

The fresh October air rushed over Quinn as she made her way to Trevor's office. Quinn's mind raced back to last night, she'd loved being so close to Rachel. Lying on the couch just listening to her breath was as amazing as Quinn always imagined it would be. She felt herself sigh when Rachel announced she was going home. When she'd got into bed shortly after Rachel had left, she found herself just lying there thinking of the diva, trying to remember the exact way Rachel's face fell when she smiled, or when she laughed.

She arrived at the office twenty minutes before her meeting was due to start. She sat outside the office waiting for Lindsay. She checked her phone and saw **(1) New Message: Rachel**. She smiled knowing that the diva was probably wishing her good luck. She loved how thoughtful Rachel was. **"Good morning beautiful. I'm just wishing you good luck for today and hopefully I'll get to see you later. I think this will count as our third date? All the best. xx"**. Quinn smiled and typed out a quick reply just as Lindsay walked into the reception area.

"This is it, Quinn."

"This is it."

"Nervous?"

"A little bit, I don't think I've got any more inspiration in me if we get rejected."

"Let's not think like that." Lindsay smiled. The door to the office opened and Trevor walked out.

"We're ready for you now." Quinn took in a deep breath and got to her feet. She followed Lindsay into the office and sat down.

-#-

**(1) New Message: Quinn. "Thanks baby. Third date? You counted last night as a date? I'm not complaining, it was almost as good as the first one. My evening's free so just give me some details and I shall meet you wherever. I'm just sat in the reception waiting. I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I know. See you later. xx" **Rachel smiled as she read Quinn's text. Her day was free until the evening when she had a show, so she decided to have Quinn over once the show was done. She was currently deciding on what she was going to cook for the two of them. She didn't want to scare Quinn away with her strict vegan regime, but she did know that Quinn was a vegetarian so cooking a meal for the both of them wouldn't be too hard. She looked at the clock and knew Quinn would definitely be in her meeting right now.

-#-

"I'll be honest Quinn, we're not sure." Trevor admitted.

"What?" Lindsay exclaimed.

"It's good, but we're not sure about the focus of it. The plot line's a bit risky."

"Are you serious?" Lindsay argued. Quinn sat silently, debating whether she should let her editor fight her battle for her. "If you're only worried about the plot line then we can discuss it. That's why I'm her editor; we'll work together and edit it."

"Quinn, can you just break down the plot for me? Is it another metaphor that I simply can't understand in my old age?"

"Trevor, you're thirty. You're not old." Lindsay retorted.

"It's about waiting and taking chances when the opportunity arises. It's a plain old fashioned love story, just like the last one."

"I can understand that, I'm a bit confused as to how it's a love story though. The two characters are female."

"Which part don't you get?" Lindsay asked.

"I think I'm just unsure if a love story about two women is the right direction to take the novel in."

"Why not?" Quinn snapped.

"The world isn't accepting of reading stories between same sex couples. That doesn't sell."

"I'm not interested in the money, Trevor. I want my story to be told. I want the world to start becoming aware of what goes on. Just because they don't see it on TV or in books doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"I just don't know. I don't think we can publish this, Quinn. I'm sorry."

"Give me time, let Lindsay and I edit it. Let us work out the kinks and we'll prove to you that it's a story worth believing in." Quinn begged, she wasn't ready to give up on her story yet. "Take away the fact that it's two women who are the leads and who fall in love. Imagine it's a man and a woman, you'd be eating it up, wouldn't you?" Quinn asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Honestly? Yes."

"You think like the world, Trevor. I always wanted my writing to inspire and convey hope to people. If this book gives people the confidence to 'come out' and be proud of who they are then I've achieved a goal. It's something I'm not ready to do yet." She admitted. "It's a love story about how everything takes time. It allows the audience to take their time as they begin to understand that the world is changing. It allows them to be captivated by a love story about two people who under normal circumstances would never have found each other let alone loved each other." She finished.

Trevor looked deeply into her eyes. "Ok."

"Ok?" Lindsay and Quinn repeated together.

"Ok. Edit it. Send me the final draft and I'll re-evaluate my decision. Quinn, you're the reason I went into publishing. I wanted to find authors with stories like yours, people who wanted to change the world. People who believe passionately in what they were writing. I thought you'd lost your way Quinn, but just then listening to you, you made it clear that you've only found your way further."

"You can thank being in love for that." She said as she left the office.

"I don't know how you managed that Quinn, but well done." Lindsay said as they left the building and began walking to Quinn's apartment.

"I don't know either, I just thought of Rachel and how proud she is of me, I want to make her the proudest woman in the world. If I don't tell this story, then I'll fail her."

"It's a good story and it'll be an amazing story once we edit it. This is my street so I'll be in touch Quinn." She said as she turned the corner. "Oh and Quinn?"

"Yeah?" Quinn replied turning around.

"Go tell your girlfriend you love her. You owe her that she saved our skin this morning." Quinn smiled and waved at the editor as she walked down the street.

She took her phone out of her pocket and dialled the diva's number. "Hello." A familiar voice answered.

"Hey you." Quinn replied.

"Don't hey you me; tell me, how did it go?"

"A bit of both to be honest. How about you come over and I'll tell you all about it?"

"Why don't you come here? We can have our third date now and then maybe a fourth later?"

"I like the sound of that. I'll be over soon." Quinn replied.

"See you soon." Rachel replied as she hung up.

As soon as she'd put her phone down onto the kitchen table she ran into Kurt's bedroom."Kurt, I need you to leave right now."

"What? Why?" He gasped.

"Quinn's coming over and I don't need her getting the third degree over lunch."

"It'll be fun!"

"No! Out! Now!" She ordered.

"Fine, I'll go over to Blaine's. Even though he's at work." He said, getting up from his bed and grabbing his jacked.

"Thank you!" She said kissing his cheek. She ushered him out of his bedroom and opened the front door to see a startled Quinn stood there.

"Hi Quinn, bye Quinn." Kurt said rushing past her.

"Err, hi Kurt." She laughed.

"Sorry, I can't stay and chat; I've been evacuated from my own house."

"Ignore him, he was going out anyway." Rachel jibed as she pulled Quinn inside.

"I hope me coming over won't annoy Kurt, you didn't have to kick him out."

"He is not third-wheeling our date." Rachel replied as she took Quinn into the kitchen. Quinn wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist and leant down and kissed her lightly.

"I missed you." She confessed.

"I missed you, too. How sad are we?" Rachel laughed. "Actually don't answer that, tell me how this morning went!" She commanded.

"Well I told you a bit of both. Trevor, the big boss, isn't entirely convinced about the plot and the characters. He isn't sure the choices I've made are right for the novel and well he's not sure whether or not they can publish it or not."

"Can you elaborate so I can see whether or not I can understand what he means?"

"Well it's a love story but about two women and he isn't sure as it opposes what society accepts as 'normal'. So what'll make money and what won't." Quinn explained, making sure to use air quotes when she used the word 'normal'.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I hid the love in the last one and I don't want to have to hide love. Love knows no boundaries, Rach, that's why we're together." She said reaching out and holding onto the brunette's hand.

"However, I explained to him that I write to inspire people and give them hope. If my book helps people be honest with who they are then it's a win for me. I told him I wasn't interested in the money, I was writing to change lives. I'm not ready to come out yet and writing this book has helped me come to terms with that. I love writing, I can be whoever I want and that's exactly the depth of my characters I want. I want them to be so real that people can identify with them. They can identify with the struggles and be overcome with emotion when they succeed. Trevor took this on board and he's given me more time. Lindsay and I have got to work out some of the problems and he'll re-evaluate his decision.

I was thinking though, even if Trevor says 'no' there may be other companies willing to publish it. I'm not going to hide this story. I want people to be proud of who they are Rach. You inspired me last night when you said you were proud of me. I stood up for what I believed in. I believe in this book and the story the characters tell." She finished. Rachel led her over to the couch and thought about everything Quinn had just said.

"Quinn..." Rachel began.

"Yeah?"

"I think I love with you." She blurted out. Quinn looked stunned. "I know it's too soon, heck, we've been together for two days, but I can't help it. You and Kurt both said something similar today about love knowing no boundaries, and I guess it doesn't understand the concept of time either." Rachel babbled.

"Rach?"

"Yeah."

"It's not too soon, because I don't think I love you. I know I do." Quinn confessed. Rachel lent forward and kissed her girlfriend. Rachel could feel the tears slowly falling down her face. Quinn pulled away and wiped them away.

"Why the tears?" She asked.

"I've just never had someone tell them they love me and genuinely mean it." She admitted.

"I'll always mean it." She replied sincerely. They kissed again before laying down on the couch in each other's arms in absolute silence.

"Some date, huh?" Quinn joked breaking the silence a short while later.

"I don't know how we're going to top this one." Rachel chuckled.

"Oh, I have an idea. I think my place would be a better place though. Kurt may not be able to sleep for a few nights." Quinn felt Rachel's breathing increase beside her. "We don't have to. I know I love you and nothing's going to change that."

"No. I want to." She whispered.

-#-

Rachel's show went without any hitches, for the second time that week Rachel couldn't concentrate on what she was supposed to be doing. Before she knew it she was outside Quinn's apartment. She slowly reached up and knocked on the door. "Hey." Quinn answered.

"Hi." She finally uttered, her heart was racing.

"Come in, it's cold out there." Quinn said, ushering her inside.

"How was the show?" She asked as she took Rachel's coat and hung it up in the cupboard.

"I don't remember. You have this crazy effect on me, you make me lose focus but luckily my body goes into auto-pilot."

"Oh. Here, have this." Quinn said offering her a glass of wine.

"Thanks."

"I thought we'd have a movie date tonight."

"Do I get to choose?" Rachel laughed, batting her eyelashes at Quinn.

"Sneaky move there Berry!" Quinn chuckled. Rachel batted them a bit more.

"Go on then. My collection's over there." She said indicating to a cabinet. Rachel opened the cabinet and couldn't believe the sheer amount of films that Quinn had collected over the years.

"Quinn, how many films do you own?"

"I've never counted. I like films, what can I say?"

"How're they organised?" Rachel asked.

"They're not. I just buy them and then put them in there."

"You really should organise them." The brunette suggested.

"Too much effort..."

"If they were organised by genre or alphabetically then you could have ease of access."

"I know, but look how many there are. It'd take too long to sort out, by then I would have lost interest in watching one."

"But-" Rachel began but Quinn cut her off.

"Pick a film." Quinn ordered knowing she was going to lose the argument if she didn't put her foot down soon.

"I'm trying...seriously there's so many. Where are your musicals?" Rachel asked.

"I don't think I have any." Quinn laughed.

"What?" Rachel shrieked. "Next movie night, we're watching a musical. I am going to educate you!"

"I look forward to it. Have you picked anything yet?"

"Erm..." She said as she scanned the rows. "This will do. We won't end up watching it anyway..." She muttered. "Hand it over." Quinn instructed. She put the disc in the machine and sat next to Rachel on the couch. Rachel snuggled into Quinn. Instinctively Quinn lifted her arm and Rachel wiggled closer. Quinn draped her arm on top of Rachel's and her fingers traced patterns on the skin.

Neither was that focused on the film. Both were too busy thinking about what was going to happen next. _'We're in love, that's what matters.'_ Quinn thought.

'_I love her. I want to show her how much I love her._' Rachel pondered. The credits began to roll on the screen and both just stared into space.

Slowly Quinn removed her arm and Rachel sat up straight.

"We don't have to do this, Rach." Quinn whispered.

"I want to. I love you Quinn. I'm scared, but I want to."

"I love you too." Quinn replied.

"It's not too soon, is it?" Rachel asked.

"I don't think of things in relation to time. I always think that if it feels right then its right."

"Does it feel right?"

"I think it does, do you?" Quinn replied. Rachel contemplated her answer before slowly nodding her head.

Quinn rose from the couch and took Rachel in her arms. She led her to the bedroom and slowly closed the door. Their first time with each other was special to both of them. It was the two of them affirming their love for each other. Some people may have thought it was too soon for them but Quinn and Rachel only cared what each other thought. They were in love and that was the most important thing to both of them.


	13. Let Go

**I hope everyone has had/is having a wonderful holiday.  
>Update number one for today.<strong>

**Enjoy! :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Let Go<strong>:

Quinn and Rachel were on a terrace overlooking Hyde Park in London. It was New Years Eve and the women had decided to see in the New Year together away from everything. They'd been together just over two months and had seen each other almost every day since they began dating. Things were going from strength to strength and neither woman could remember being as happy as they had been in the past two months.

"Let it go, Rachel."

"I can't Quinn."

"You can." Quinn assured her.

"You haven't let go yet either." Rachel reminded her.

"I'm waiting for you, we're doing this together."

"Can I see what you wrote on yours?"

"Nope, just like I can't see what you wrote on yours."

"Why must you torture me, Quinn?"

"You've got such a flair for dramatics."

"Please tell me you aren't just figuring this out now."

"Oh no, I've known for some time. Now, stop delaying, are you ready?" Quinn asked, trying not to laugh. Rachel finally nodded her head.

"On three?" Quinn asked.

"One, two, three." The diva counted. Both women let go of the balloons in their hands. They watched as they rose into the sky. Quinn wrapped her arm around Rachel's waist. "See that wasn't so hard?"

"It was. I wanted to know what you wrote."

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Then what was the point?" Rachel asked, she watched as Quinn raised her eyebrow in trademark fashion. "That's not to say it wasn't one of the cutest things I've done." She added.

"The point was that we're starting the New Year, happier than both of us can remember. Releasing the balloons symbolised setting ourselves free of our past and it released us from the reigns of unhappiness." Quinn explained.

"I love it when you have such a well reasoned answer."

"Come on, let's get back inside, we'll catch a cold just stood here." Quinn replied, ushering Rachel back into their hotel room.

"Where are we going this afternoon then?" Rachel asked as they bundled up in thick coats, scarves, hats and gloves as they faced the cold British wintry weather.

"I thought maybe we could go on the London Eye, it's a bit of a walk so we could just soak up London. We're not here for much longer and it'd be nice to see people just going about their business while we go around without a set pace."

"Similarly to the way tourists are in New York? We're always in a rush but they're always just going at their own pace?"

"Exactly. What do you say? It'll be nice when we get there. I've been looking online."

"That sounds great, a nice slow pace, especially since I dragged you round the West End yesterday."

"That was fun, I enjoyed myself."

"We only looked at the theatres from the outside...How could you enjoy that?" Rachel chuckled.

"The same way you did" Quinn laughed back. "Besides you were having fun, so that was always going to make me happy." She added.

They walked through the busy streets of London in a world of their own. They walked with their hands held and fingers intertwined so they were as connected to London as the other. Neither wanted to miss anything while they were away from the busier streets of New York. "This place is so beautiful." Rachel said as they walked across Waterloo Bridge.

"Definitely. It'd be nice to live here someday."

"Maybe I could get a show on the West End then we can move here, someday."

"That'd be nice." Quinn replied absent-mindedly.

-#-

"This is going to be so much fun, Quinn." Rachel said as they queued. She was practically jumping up and down like a little child. "Are you excited, Rach?" Quinn joked, playing along.

"Yes!" She replied a bit too enthusiastically. The people in front turned around to see where the loud noise was coming from. "Sorry, she's a bit excited." Quinn mumbled forcing a smile.

"What's their problem? Don't they know how to have fun?" Rachel scoffed.

"Shh, let's just queue calmly." Quinn said calmingly. She didn't want the people to turn around have a go at Rachel. She knew how argumentative Rachel could get. Fortunately, she hadn't been on the opposite side of the diva in a very long time. She didn't intend on being on her opposite side either. They got their ticket and walked into the pod, fortunately the people in front had just taken the last spaces in the pod before, so Quinn and Rachel got into an empty one and waited for it to fill up.

Slowly the wheel began to turn and Rachel hurriedly grabbed onto the handrail with one hand. She wrapped the other around Quinn's waist so she wouldn't fall. "You didn't say it moved this quickly." Rachel hissed as to not draw attention to the two of them. Quinn couldn't hold in her laughter. "Stop laughing" She ordered.

"Sorry, baby, it's hardly moving. You're not supposed to be able to feel it moving. We can sit down if you want."

"We won't see as much though."

"That's true. So either you stand and forget that it's moving or you sit and miss out on some of these extraordinary sights."

"You sound like your telling off a child." Rachel chuckled.

"I might as well be." Quinn spat back playfully.

"Quinn?" Rachel asked in a child like voice.

"Oh, here we go with the child voice." Quinn sniggered. Rachel huffed. "You know I'm joking. What is it, baby?"

"Don't let go." Rachel mumbled moving closer to Quinn.

"I won't." She held the brunette tighter and kissed the top of her head.

They stood in silence taking in the many sights of London. "I can't believe how beautiful it is." Rachel whispered.

"I know it's breathtaking."

"I love New York, but this is just amazing."

"New York's amazing; we just don't appreciate it as much because we live there and see it everyday." Quinn stated. Rachel considered what the blonde was saying. "You raise a valid point. Maybe when we get back we should take days off where possible and bask in the beauty of our city?" She suggested.

"I'd be happy to do that, I can be available anytime, I'll just tell Lindsay I need some inspiration."

"You'd lie to your editor to take time off?"

"It wouldn't be lying. I'd be with you." The diva looked confused."Being with you always inspires me Rachel. So if I was with you then the words I need would be right there, so thank you." She concluded.

Rachel blushed. She never believed she had that much of an effect on her girlfriend. She couldn't have been more wrong.


	14. Say It From The Heart

**Second update (Obviously)  
>I've started adding '-#-' in to indicate different sections.<br>So this is London part two. :)**

**All the best!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Say It From The Heart<strong>:

"Are you nearly ready?" Quinn yelled from her spot on the bed.

"Almost! Give me two minutes!" Rachel yelled in reply from the bathroom.

"We are sort of stuck to time constraints tonight."

"We've got until midnight."

"We need to get a good spot though. London's famous for its New Years Eve celebrations."

"Which we will see from wherever we stand." The diva argued back.

"Ok, I want us to have a good spot. Now are you almost ready?"

"Yes. I'm here." Rachel said opening the bathroom door.

She was dressed in a red strapless dress that stopped just before the knee, matched with black tights to her reluctance. She'd argued with Quinn that she'd be warm enough, but Quinn was always making sure the tiny diva was going to be fine. She knew she was going to have to wear flats because they were going to be standing for a considerable amount of time that evening. Her hair was loose and had fallen nicely around her shoulders.

"Wow." Quinn uttered. "You look...wow. I'm speechless."

"You don't look too shabby yourself." Rachel laughed. Quinn had a similar cut of dress on but in a pale blue. "Quinn?" Rachel asked when she didn't get a response from her girlfriend.

"Mmmm?" Quinn mumbled.

"May I remind you that you've just hurried me up to get ready and now you're stood rooted to the spot. Let's go." The diva ordered. Quinn picked up her bag and laughed. "Oh and bring some tissue."

"Why?" Quinn uttered breaking from her trance on Rachel.

"You're drooling. I don't want drool ruining your dress." She mocked. Quinn tapped her arm before spinning her around and kissing her. Rachel whimpered at the contact and deepened the kiss. Quinn broke it off before it got too heated. They really did have plans they wanted to attend.

"Come on you." She said taking Rachel's hand and leaving the room.

"What about here?" Rachel suggested.

"No, too many people." Quinn said as she continued along the bridge pulling her girlfriend through the crowd.

"There's going to be people everywhere, its New Years Eve." Rachel reminded her.

"I know that but this bit doesn't feel right." Rachel couldn't understand what Quinn was searching for but she didn't question it any further. She wanted to ensure the blonde had a fantastic start to the New Year and if finding the perfect spot on Westminster Bridge was going to make sure that happened then she wasn't going to stop her.

"Here. It's perfect." Quinn stated as she stopped in the centre of the bridge.

"I don't mean to be funny, but there's equally as many people here as there was back there."

"I know, but this is the perfect spot. It feels right."

"You're peculiar, you know that right?" Rachel joked.

"I've been told." Quinn laughed.

"You know what?" Rachel asked.

"What?"

"I still love you, no matter how peculiar you are."

"I love you, too. I can't wait to start the New Year with you, Rachel. The past two months have just been amazing and if this trip has been anything to go by, we're in for a pretty amazing year together."

"I couldn't agree more. I can't think how my life was just over two months ago. I was unhappy and that's all I can remember."

"I don't want you to remember any of the specifics, all I want you to be able to remember are the good times and darling, we've got many more to come." Quinn finished.

They stood wrapped in each other's arms on Westminster Bridge soaking up the atmosphere of the evening in an almost silence. They'd discovered in the past two months that as long as they were together then they could be in silence and still enjoy each other's company. They always had something to talk about as they were still learning about each other but they both enjoyed the comfortable silence they could share together.

Quinn checked her watch; she had fifteen minutes until midnight. "So, Rachel, before the fireworks start I think it'd be a good time to discuss what we wrote on our balloons." Rachel perked up beside her. The grip she had on Quinn's hand tightened in anticipation.

"Oooh! I've been looking forward to this for most of the day!"

"Do you want to go first?"

"No! I want to hear what you wrote about me. You're the author; it's got to be beautiful. It's the only language you know."

"Ok, so no pressure then?" Quinn joked. "I wrote: _"The one thing I've always dreamed of is now mine. I am hers and she is mine. She unlocked my heart and opened it up to love; to joy; and to happiness. I'll thank her now and always."_ Quinn looked down at the diva whose eyes had filled with tiny tears. "I mean it Rachel. Thank you. We may have only been together such a short time, but I never follow the concept of time. I follow what feels right and being with you feels right. Here's to an amazing year." She finished, she added a kiss to the diva's lips to signal she'd finished.

"I don't think I can beat that, why did I have to let you go first?" She chuckled wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Whatever you wrote will be beautiful Rachel. It'll have come from your heart which is where you should always write from." Quinn whispered.

"It did, I wrote: _"Quinn, you've saved me from an eternity spent in a hell of unhappiness. You made me believe in love. You made me understand that love doesn't have any boundaries, before I knew it I was falling for you. I'll keep falling for you. I promise."_ Rachel looked up and to her surprise had evoked a similar reaction from Quinn. She released her hand and cupped the blonde's face and pulled her down into a kiss. She needed to convey things she felt she'd missed when she tried to write everything down.

They pulled away in shock when they heard a loud bang. They looked up to see the fireworks had started. They huddled close together in awe of the splendour above them. "I love you Rachel." Quinn murmured into the brunette's ear. "I couldn't imagine a better way to start the New Year than being here with you."

"I could start the New Year anywhere and still be happy, as long as I had you right by my side."

"It's going to be a great year, I can feel it."

"Me too." Rachel simply replied. She gripped the blonde's hand tighter and the blonde took it as a signal that the diva was ready to leave.

"Come on, let's get back. It's a good walk and I'm beginning to freeze." She said pulling her coat tighter to her before she turned and pulled the diva's tighter to her.

"How did you know I was ready to go back?" Rachel asked.

"I've got a sixth sense." Quinn joked.

"Are you making fun of me and my sixth sense?"

"Would I do that?" Quinn replied sarcastically.

"I don't know, I guess I'll have to think about it. It's going to be a long night of thinking." She jibed "A long night of thinking and nothing else..." She added.

"Whatever you say." Quinn sniggered, knowing full well that Rachel would want to see the New Year in once they got back to their hotel room.

-#-

"I've got a lot of good ideas from this trip." Quinn said as she turned down the bed whilst Rachel was brushing her teeth.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I think I'll definitely be able to spend a good few weeks editing my novel when we get back."

"If it keeps Lindsay off your back then good, that woman sometimes doesn't know her limits."

"She's my editor baby. She's supposed to be on my back, she only wants the best from me. Sometimes I need that push before I reach where I'm headed."

"I can understand that, but sometimes at 10pm when we're watching TV isn't the greatest time to phone you and discuss characterisation."

"You've got to remember that for all the time Lindsay's known me I've been single. Whenever she's called I've been able to answer and discuss things in depth sometimes for two to three hours at a time. I doubt she even realises how much time we actually spend together." Quinn explained as she got into bed.

"I know, but sometimes I don't see you all day and the majority of the evening and I just want to cuddle before bed but no, she phones and I have to go to bed alone."

"I'll sort it out. Don't worry. How're you going to cope if it gets published?"

"When it gets published." Rachel corrected her as she climbed into bed and cuddled up next to her girlfriend. "What do you mean?" She added.

"Well I'll be doing a book tour so I could be out of the county for a few weeks at a time. Last time I was gone for a month at least."

"I don't know. I guess I'll fly out and see you when I can."

"Rach, you do know you're not going to be on your own, right? You live with Kurt. He'll keep you entertained for a few weeks."

"It won't be the same though. Plus he can't entertain me in the same ways you can..." She replied.

"No, I hope he doesn't." Quinn replied ignoring the comment, she wanted to test Rachel's statement from earlier. "You never know we may be living together by the time you get your second novel published. I truly will be on my own if that's the case." Rachel added.

"This is true; it may be a couple of years. Lindsay's hoping by the end of this year, which sounds crazy since we're only a few hours into it. We'll get you a dog so you're not alone." Quinn pondered a loud.

"A dog would be nice." She simply replied. Quinn pulled her closer and kissed her good night.

"Can I just say how impressed I am?" Quinn muttered.

"With what?"

"You. I thought after your 'he doesn't entertain me in the same ways you can' comment that you were hoping I'd well...entertain you. When I brushed it off you just stopped no more innuendos. I am impressed. I honestly thought you'd want to see the New Year in with a bang." Quinn stated. The diva began laughing beside her. Her laughter growing louder and louder as she processed what Quinn had just said.

"Nice choice of words there! 'Bang' seriously, I can tell you're an author more and more each day." She chuckled before her tone turned serious. "I told you that it would be a long night of thinking and it will be. I'll be thinking about your humour and you'll be thinking that I'm such a tease. Good night Quinn." She sniggered before lightly kissing the blonde good night.

She closed her eyes and tried to contain her giggles. Quinn could feel her giggling beside her and soon they were both laughing so hard they were almost crying. It took them until around four in the morning before they could finally sleep. "I'm loving this year already." Quinn whispered as she watched Rachel drift off into sleep. She heard a small voice whisper "Me too" just before she gave into sleep herself.


	15. Looking To The Future

**To you all: Have a wonderful New Year and a prosperous 2012.  
>I shall continue writing this irrespective of the fact Christmas is now over!<br>We all love Faberry in winter, spring, summer or fall. (Ooh, I like that song!)  
>All the best!<br>-Klaine2314  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Looking To The Future:<strong>

"Grrrrr." Rachel growled as she slammed the door to Quinn's apartment.

"In here." Quinn yelled from the office.

"I have had the day from hell." Rachel said as she stormed into Quinn's office.

"Come sit down, tell me all about it." Quinn replied calmly closing her laptop lid.

"I can't sit, I'm furious." She snarled as she paced the office.

"Tell me about it, rant away. You'll feel better." Quinn urged starting to worry for her girlfriend.

"They're trying to sign me up for another run. I'm not impressed, I really don't want to do it but my manager argues that at the minute it's the best offer we've got. I don't want to leave Broadway because there's no guarantee I'll make my way back. I have no idea what I can do."

"How long do they want to sign you back up for?"

"Another year at the minimum. I've always said that I couldn't wait until my contract was up and I could leave but I thought I'd have lots of other auditions and offers lined up but it doesn't seem that way. I'll figure it out, right now I just want to forget about it all and have a night in with you."

"I think we can solve that." Quinn whispered as she pulled the brunette onto her lap. Rachel dropped her head onto Quinn's shoulder in search of comfort.

"I know what would make me feel better." She finally said.

"Now what would that be?"

"If you let me read what you've been writing for the past four months. You said in London that you had enough ideas to keep you occupied for a few weeks. It's definitely been a few weeks, it's been two months since we were there and you've been working pretty much everyday since then."

"You're desperate to read this aren't you?"

"Of course I am, you support me and my job, so I want to support you and your job. Is it nearly finished?"

"You should know this by now, you can't rush art. I'm almost done though. Lindsay's desperate for it to be finished by the weekend, but I'm not sure."

"Well, can I read it? I'll give you an honest opinion as a fan of your work and not as your girlfriend."

"Can you actually do that? Take out the fact that we're dating and honestly read what I've written and not love it? I can guarantee you that you will definitely love it."

"I can give it a go. It would take my mind off today and the imminent decisions of my future."

"Well I can cook dinner while you read, I don't expect you to read it all because there's a lot, just give it a quick glance. You can read it properly when it's completely finished." Quinn lifted the lid of her laptop and scrolled to the top of the document.

Rachel was stunned when it took almost two minutes for the document to scroll to the top. She never expected the blonde to have written this much. She knew how long her first novel was but seeing it written on screen seemed to have much more of an impact. "Thank you." She whispered as Quinn stood up giving her the seat. "You're welcome." Quinn replied before kissing the top of Rachel's head. She quietly exited the room, glancing back to look at her girlfriend who was focused on the screen in front of her.

-#-

Quinn reflected on their relationship as she floated around the kitchen cooking dinner. She couldn't believe they'd only been together for just over four months. They'd shared so much in that time. Four months just didn't seem possible. Everything just clicked into place. They rarely spent time apart now. Most nights were spent at Quinn's where they just escaped from reality. Their relationship was slowly becoming public which initially Quinn had been concerned about but slowly Rachel had helped her believe that regardless what people thought they had each other and they always would. They were both coming to terms with their sexuality and they had each other to fall back on when things got tough. They loved each other and they reminded themselves that that was what truly mattered.

Rachel sat at the desk absorbed by what Quinn had written. She could never understand how such beautiful prose could come from her girlfriend's mind but she'd never question it. Quinn wrote with such grace that it flowed through into Rachel's heart and soul, as if Quinn was talking to her directly. "Hey." Quinn murmured from the door. "Dinner's ready."

"Quinn I love it."

"Straight to the point, huh?" Quinn chuckled.

"Since when did I ever beat around the bush?"

"That's true. Come and eat. Tell me about it over dinner." Quinn said as she walked over to the desk and picked up the diva's hands. "I'd love to."

"It still needs a lot of work." Quinn said as she removed the dishes from the table.

"It doesn't. It just needs touching up here and there."

"It needs a lot of work." Quinn repeated.

"You're always going to be protective of it, it's your baby."

"..and you, too." Quinn mumbled.

"What?"

"I'll always be protective of you too, you're my baby and I always want to protect you. My book still needs work and because it's about you it needs more work. The more work I put into it the more I protect you."

"You're such a smooth talker. Listen to me, Quinn, your work is amazing. Your words make me feel safe, you make me feel safe. If writing more makes you feel safe then I'll let it go, but you told me back in London that sometimes you need that push. Send it to Lindsay please."

"Are you sure?" Quinn said as she knelt in front of Rachel.

"Yes, trust me."

"I do trust you, I'm just worried."

"I'm here to support you through your worries. That's what we do to each other. It's how relationships work. We support each other irrespective of what other people think."

"Thank you, Rachel. I mean it, thank you."

"I haven't done anything out of the ordinary. I'm your girlfriend, all I'm doing is showing my support of you." Rachel said as she leant down and lightly kissed Quinn.

"I love you, you know that?" Quinn asked.

"I do. I love you, too."

"No Rachel, I mean it. I don't just love you; I'm in love with you. You are everything I'd want from a relationship. You give me support and stability. You make me happy and confident."

"I'm in love with you, too. You keep me grounded, I know I can sometimes rant and not shut up for over an hour and you just let me get on with it. You calm me down when I'm angry. You cheer me up when I'm sad. I ache for you when we're apart and I can't imagine my life without you now, Quinn." She lent forward again and kissed her girlfriend.

"How did we get so lucky?" Quinn asked when they broke apart.

"I ask myself that every time I wake up in the morning." Rachel admitted.

"We deserve happiness, I'm glad we've found it with each other."

"I'm never happier than when I am with you."

"I don't think we can be afford to be naive though. It's not going to be easy. There are going to be times when we don't see eye to eye and I just want us to be prepared for those times."

"I know, I'm just enjoying the moment. I don't want to think about the future, there are too many 'what ifs' in life. People are hung up on what's going to happen in the future rather than living in the present."

"I love how we're on the same page. It's as if we're set up for happiness."

"I know, I love it. I know exactly what you mean though."

"Let's plan then, how about we live for the moment and not what's in the future."

"Some plans can't hurt though..." Rachel replied.

"You've been planning the future haven't you?" Quinn mocked. Rachel dropped her eyes and a pink tinge appeared in her cheeks. "Don't laugh, but yes, of course I have."

"How many lists have you made?"

"I haven't gone that far! I have toned it down ever so slightly since high school."

"Of course." Quinn replied sarcastically as she tilted her head and nodded.

They moved over to the couch and laid down. Rachel had her head resting on Quinn's chest, as Quinn protectively wrapped her arm around Rachel. "Have you not thought about the future at all, Quinn?"

"Sometimes I think about it, but I've always been wrapped up in the future of the characters rather than my own."

"What about when we started dating? Did you begin thinking about it any more? I'm only asking because it's been floating around my mind for the past few weeks."

"I think the turning point was when we went to London. I woke up next to you, ate with you, spent the day with you and then fell asleep next to you. That's when I realised that was what I wanted from life. So yes, I guess I have been thinking about it in the last couple of months."

"Why London though? I mean it's abnormal if we spend a day or two apart, so London wasn't much different...Except we were in a different country."

"A country where we didn't know anyone or anything, if we argued, we had nowhere to go so we would have to solve it. That's what I want from a relationship. I don't want the storm outs, I want the resolution right there and then. I hate having arguments hanging over my head, it messes with my creativity. I can't write when I'm angry, if anything messes with my creativity, they should know they're in trouble. Being away with you Rachel was amazing. I committed to you there too..."

"I remember...I was talking about roles on the West End and maybe moving there one day and you just agreed, without hesitation. I remember Quinn."

"I mean it. Now onto your plans, what are our plans?"

"I won't scare you away, will I?"

"Never." She replied kissing her.

"Firstly, we need to move in together, soon. We've been together four months which is still a bit sudden, but then again, we did confess our love pretty early on."

"Early is a bit of an understatement." Quinn joked. "I don't regret it though." She added.

"However, I feel like we know each other pretty well, well enough to give it a go anyway. We can have separate bedrooms if necessary."

"Well how about we split our time between the two apartments? Similar to a trial run? Then we both have a place to stay if it gets too much and we need time alone. I'm just ignoring your separate bedrooms comment. I have having to sleep by myself now."

"That might work. I quite like that idea I'll have to speak to Kurt." She replied before adding "I can't see it being a problem, Blaine's often around at our place."

"Have they not discussed moving in together at all? They've been together a long time!"

"Blaine wants to, but Kurt's unsure. Kurt likes his space..."

"...and his own bathroom?" Quinn joked.

"Yes, his own bathroom too. We're lucky because we both have a bathroom joined on to our bedrooms."

"So on with the plan, once we move in, how long until we look at things like marriage?"

"Well I'm not sure, we definitely need to have been together a year at least. I can't rush into marriage, regardless of the fact it feels right."

"I have a question about this plan."

"Shoot."

"Well, who's going to propose? Normally it's the man, but I don't know if you'd realised, but we're both women." Rachel chuckled at the sincerity in Quinn's voice.

"I don't know, I always assumed I'd be proposed too, but I think if we don't plan it, then we can surprise each other."

"How does that even work?"

"Well you should be aware that I intend on proposing. I'll be aware that you intend on proposing."

"So therefore we're planning on not planning to propose. Isn't that a contradiction?"

"I guess. Well why don't we discuss it once we've moved in together and feel ready to get married?"

"That's probably a better idea."

-#-

"_I already know how I'm going to propose to you. Don't steal my thunder."_ Quinn thought later that night as she laid in bed, her arm wrapped tightly around Rachel. She loved listening to Rachel sleep, the rise and fall in her breathing was almost as magical as hearing her sing. _"I've wanted you since we were sixteen; you are not taking this moment. I'll just have to keep putting off the conversation."_ Quinn thought. She knew how exactly she was going to propose. It was just going to take time.


	16. A Day of Good News

**A Day of Good News**:

* * *

><p>"Have you two not spoken about getting married lately then?" Kurt enquired breaking the trance that the women had created with their story.<p>

"We've only lived together three months; we still think it's a bit early really." Quinn replied.

"Yeah, but now we live together it's a good test to see if we can go the distance." Rachel added.

"Back to the story!" Quinn clapped hoping to take the focus off the marriage topic for a while longer.

* * *

><p>"I think you need to bring your laptop over when you stay next time. You wouldn't have to rush home in the morning. You could work from here until I have to go to the theatre." Rachel sighed as Quinn put her shoes on.<p>

"I like that idea, but I doubt I'd get any work done."

"Are you saying I'm a distraction?"

"You are my biggest distraction but also my biggest inspiration. You're coming over to mine after work, aren't you?"

"I certainly am." Rachel grinned. Quinn paused before she opened the door. She turned round and slowly kissed Rachel.

"Bye baby." She finally said as she broke away and opened the door. Rachel watched the door close and found herself longing for the blonde to return. Since they'd decided to practice co-habiting the women had hardly spent any time apart. Occasionally they would have the odd night alone but found themselves texting one another for the majority of the evening.

"Where's your head, Rach?" Kurt asked as he entered the kitchen. He found Rachel gazing absent-mindedly into a cup of coffee that had gone cold before she could drink it.

"Quinn...Where else." She sighed.

"You guys didn't fight did you? I mean you two were very quiet last night..." He mumbled trailing off.

"We're not animals, Kurt..."

"I know, I was trying to lighten the situation. What's up?"

"I really want to move in with her, but I know she's going to think it's too soon."

"How long have you two been together?" Kurt asked. Rachel calculated that they were approaching six months.

"Pretty close to six months. The time doesn't matter though, we spend all of our time together, it's like we live together anyway. It's so rare that we actually spend a night alone now. We're both paying for bills and rent at two separate apartments, we could move in and save each other a bit of money."

"Rach, look, Blaine and I have been talking about moving in together, but we want a place that's just ours. I can't guarantee that'll happen soon but maybe you and Quinn could move in here now anyway. It could be the kick up the backside I need to finally take the plunge and move in with Blaine. If you think it feels right then I'm sure Quinn will do whatever it takes to make you happy."

"Kurt, that's a brilliant idea. I want Quinn to want to move in together though, not just because it's going to make me happy. I want our relationship to make each other happy."

"In order to do that though, sacrifices have to be made." Kurt reminded her.

Quinn entered her apartment and let out a deep sigh. Her apartment felt bare without Rachel there to keep her company. Slowly Quinn made her way to the office dreading having to work when her stomach felt like lead. She hated leaving the diva suddenly in the morning, but she knew Lindsay would go ballistic if she kept taking random days off. She'd used the inspiration excuse one time too many and Lindsay was beginning to catch on. Her phone rang beside her without looking at the ID she picked it up.

"Hey, Quinn." Lindsay's bright tone made Quinn's stomach sink even further.

"Hey, Lindsay." Quinn groaned in response.

"I got your document and I thought I'd let you know that Trevor's reading through it right now." Lindsay's information made Quinn's stomach drop even further. "Hopefully this will be good enough for the company to invest in and then you won't have to worry about inspiration days for a while because it'll all be book tours and promotional work for a couple of months; that's all in good time though." Lindsay explained. Quinn remained quiet and Lindsay acknowledged her silence.

"Quinn? Is everything ok? You're pretty quiet this morning."

"I'm fine, I'm just anxious for this to get out there now."

"Rachel's read it, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, I was reluctant, I'll admit. I wanted her to be able to read it with an open mind and I was worried she wouldn't be able to. She said she did though and I believe her. She gave me the confidence to send it to you, so if Trevor likes it then we owe her...again!"

"I'm sure you can pay her for the both of us..." Lindsay joked.

"Oh I will."

"Right Quinn, until I hear from Trevor there's no point you doing anything else."

"Wait, what?" Quinn asked unsure if she'd heard correctly or not.

"You've got the day off, just keep your phone handy in case I need to get hold of you."

"Lindsay, why couldn't you tell me this yesterday? I left Rachel in a pretty sad state this morning because I thought I had to work."

"I wasn't sure when Trevor would have the time to read it, but why don't you go and make amends now?"

"Trust me, I will."

"Bye Quinn."

"Yeah see you Lindsay. Thanks by the way. You've been great through all of this."

"No problem. Catch you later." She replied and with that she hung up the phone.

Quinn raced to her bedroom and got changed in a matter of minutes. She grabbed her phone and texted Rachel. **"Lindsay called. I have the day off. I'm on my way back over. xx"** She dashed out of the door before the message had even sent.

The diva jumped around the room in delight when she got the author's text. She silently thanked Lindsay and immediately rushed into Kurt's room. "Kurt, I need your fantastic advice." She said as she entered. "Hi Blaine." She added.

"Err morning Rachel." Blaine laughed.

"Spit it out then." Kurt joked.

"Quinn's coming back over, like now, is it worth suggesting our plan?" She said trying to be subtle.

"What plan?" Blaine asked oblivious to the conversation that had taken place in the kitchen earlier.

"I'll tell you later." Kurt said to Blaine. "I think it would be appropriate Rachel, explain how you feel and see how she feels." He said as he turned to face Rachel. "I think the feelings are going to be mutual, but don't get your hopes up. If she says 'no' then don't press it because you'll push her further away." Rachel nodded in agreement. "Do you want Blaine and I to leave, give you two some privacy?"

"Oh no, I don't anticipate it being something we'll argue over. It's either a 'yes' or a 'no'."

"Well if you do, just give me a knock or something and we'll make ourselves scarce." He said just before there was a knock at their apartment.

"Hey baby." Rachel said as she answered the door.

"I'm so glad you're not busy." Quinn replied as they made their way into Rachel's bedroom and sat down on the couch she had in there.

"Nope, I'm free all day."

"I'll say it again, I'm glad. I felt awful for having to leave earlier." She said leaning forward and giving her a small kiss.

"Don't feel bad, you have to work."

"I was just relieved when Lindsay said I could take the day off while Trevor re-evaluated his decision."

"How about while he re-evaluates his decision, we re-evaluate ours?"

"Which decision was that?"

"The one where we decided to hold off moving in together."

"Ah." Quinn uttered.

"You're still not ready?"

"I am. I'm more than ready, trust me. I left this morning and my stomach developed a really empty feeling; I hated seeing you sad when I left. I definitely feel ready to move in with you, Rachel."

"Seriously?" Rachel asked. She didn't expect Quinn to give her a straight answer right away.

"Yes, of course. There's just one problem for now..." Quinn told her. _'Here it comes'_ Rachel thought.

"Well its something we've discussed before...If it gets published I'm going to be away on book tours and a lot of promotional work, so timing wise its probably not the best idea to be looking for an apartment. I mean it can take a while before I leave but until then I have to focus on my novel and getting it out there. I have to work on getting the publicity for it. I'm not saying no, Rachel, I'm saying the exact opposite. I want to move in with you, I really do, I just can't right now." She concluded.

She looked at her girlfriend whose bright face had darkened. Rachel looked deflated. "What if I had a suggestion already prepared?" Rachel mumbled.

"I'm listening..."

"What if you moved in here with Kurt and I. We wouldn't have the hassle of looking for a new place, you could just move your stuff over, well we could employ someone to do that and then once you're back from your tour and stuff we could begin looking for a place that's entirely our own."

"What does Kurt think of this?"

"Well it was half his idea. He wants to use it as a springboard into moving in with Blaine."

"I think it's a good idea, Rachel. Are you sure though? It's a big step."

"I don't want either of us to have the option of not spending the night next to the other. I want you to be the last thing I see before I go to sleep."

"I want that too, more than you know. So..." Quinn replied trailing off.

"So...we're moving in together?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"I do believe we are." Quinn chuckled.

Rachel wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and dove into a deep kiss. Suddenly she pulled away from Quinn who was left rather confused. "I have to go tell Kurt the good news. Oh wait; we can go tell him the good news!" She said jumping off the couch enthusiastically.

"I was quite content staying here and kissing my new room-mate but I guess I can do that too."

"Well once we've broken our fantastic news we can resume."

"I love how you plan these things."

"I'm just making the best use of our time. It won't always be as free as this."

"That's true." Quinn replied as Rachel pulled her off the couch.

Just as Rachel was about to knock on Kurt's door, Quinn's phone rang. She checked the ID and saw it was Lindsay. "I've got to take this." She said indicating to the ID.

"Take it. I'll tell Kurt our good news."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to wait." She mocked. "Hello." She added answering her phone before Rachel could reply.

"Hey Quinn. Do you want the good news or bad news first?" Lindsay asked.

"I'll take the good news I think." Quinn replied as she closed Rachel's bedroom door.

"Good news is Trevor has agreed to publish your book. He loved it Quinn. We finally got him around to our way of thinking!" Lindsay exclaimed.

"You're serious?" Quinn replied with a blank expression on her face.

"Very serious."

"If this is the good news, then what on earth is the bad news?"

"It's not bad news in reality. It's just well I know how in love you are now and well you're going to be touring and promoting for a few months which means time away from Rachel."

"Its fine, we've been preparing for this. It's partly why I've been putting off moving in with her. I don't want her having to live alone straight after we'd moved in, that'd defeat the object."

"You really are a romantic aren't you?"

"You've edited my last two books and you're just coming to this conclusion now?"

"Oh no, I just thought I'd get some clarification." She laughed. "I'll let you go and tell Rachel the good news. I'll be in touch tomorrow Quinn. You need to write the dedication before we can send it off to print. We need to do some error checks and just double check we have consistency and continuity throughout."

"Yeah no problem. I can come over to your office in the morning, I want to get the wheels in motion as soon as, I've got a plan to keep up with."

"A plan? Do enlighten me."

"I will, tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Bye Lindsay." She replied getting antsy to tell Rachel the good news.

"Congratulations Quinn. See you tomorrow." She replied before hanging up the phone.

"RACHEL! QUICK!" Quinn yelled.

"WHAT?" Rachel shrieked as she opened the door. She dived onto the bed and sat next to Quinn who immediately took both of her hands and locked their fingers together.

"I may have some news." She teased with a light tone to her voice.

"Don't you wind me up, Fabray." Rachel ordered forcefully.

"Woah, scary Rachel. I'll just tell you then...Well they've decided to publish my book." She replied nonchalantly.

"WHAT?" Rachel exclaimed.

"Ow!" Quinn yelped covering her ears. "Calm down baby."

"I can't. This is huge! I'm so proud of you." She squealed as she peppered her girlfriend's face with short kisses before she planted one on her lips.

"Bad news before you get too excited. I'm definitely touring and promoting it. We knew this though." Quinn added.

"It's fine. I'm could do with a weeks holiday and I guess I can use it to accompany my amazing girlfriend as she promotes her next bestseller."

"Rachel, that'd be amazing."

"You shouldn't expect any less. I know how much you've supported me throughout my career even before we got together so this is just payback."

"I love you, you know that right."

"I do. I love you, too." She said as she added another kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "Now get to work on that dedication." She joked.

"I already know what I'm saying." She grinned. "Santana's going to love it." She added jokingly.

"Keep it up and we can put off the celebrations for another night and that'd be a damn shame..." She teased. "I'm sorry, Rach." Quinn chuckled lightly.

-#-

Kurt and Blaine slipped out of the apartment quietly shortly after they heard Rachel's door slam. They didn't want to hear Rachel hit anymore high notes away from the stage so for their own sanity left the two women to it. _'I've got a feeling I'm going to be moving out sooner than I imagined._' Kurt thought as he locked the door. He smiled knowing that his best friend was happy.

5


	17. This Is Our Story

**This Is Our Story:**

"Rachel, I don't think you understand the concept of packing." Quinn mocked as she repacked her suitcase for the third time.

"I do, but I prefer unpacking."

"So do I but I'm not going to be away for long. Two weeks and then I'm back."

"That's not exactly the truth. Yes you're back for what two days and then you're off again."

"We knew this was going to happen though, baby. Besides you're coming out with me at some point."

"I know, I'll just miss you. I've just got used to you being around."

"I'll miss you too but do you remember what we decided?"

"I certainly do. I'm going to look while you're away, it might take my mind off of you. I doubt it though." Rachel laughed.

"You're going to be the only thing I think of while I'm away." Quinn said as she zipped her suitcase on and used the small padlock to lock the zips together. "Oh now look at you, taking away all my fun!" Rachel giggled.

"You've proven that it is necessary." Quinn teased. "I have a surprise for you actually. I wanted to give you it just before I left but your pouty face is making me sad." She added. Rachel's frown turned into a smile as she began bouncing up and down from her spot on the bed.

"Close your eyes." Quinn instructed. Rachel obliged and the blonde moved to the dressing table and picked up the surprise. Quinn slowly sat on the bed. She never took her eyes off Rachel ensuring that Rachel played by the rules. "Hold your hands out." Rachel did as she was instructed. Quinn placed the package into her hands.

Rachel felt the paper rustle as Quinn placed the parcel into her hands. It was heavy and immediately Rachel knew what it was. "Open your eyes." Quinn instructed. Rachel's eyes flew open and down toward the package in her hands. "I think I know what this is..." She said as she pulled the paper off the parcel. She removed the wrapping paper and turned the parcel over so that the front was facing her. "It's your novel, Quinn!" She squealed before turning to kiss her girlfriend.

"It most certainly is. It was the first one they published and I thought since you were the one who finally pushed me to submitting it again that you should have the very first copy."

"I love it Quinn. Thank you." She said before kissing her again. "I love the title... _'Only Time Will Tell'_ it's perfect. It fits the story so well. I'm so proud of you, baby. I really am."

"If I don't sell a single copy of this novel I'll still be happy because I've got you and I've got your approval."

"This is going to be a bestseller, I can feel it. Now go! Go and spread your words, I'll be right here waiting for you to get back!" Rachel ordered light-heartedly. Quinn kissed her girlfriend before she got up and picked up her suitcase.

"I'll call you when I've landed. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. I'm not coming to the door to say goodbye, because I know I'll break down. So go, and do it quickly." She laughed trying to fend off the tears.

"I love you." Quinn said as she closed the bedroom door. She felt a single tear fall down her face as she left the apartment but she knew it was only two weeks and Rachel would be there when she got back. She hoped that Rachel would always be there.

Once Rachel heard the apartment door shut she smiled away the tears. She traced her fingers over the front cover and carefully opened the book. She carefully flicked the pages and her eyes fell on the dedication. She'd been waiting to read this, she'd joked with Quinn for hours that she was going to have a battle to find words to beat her last one. Rachel knew that Quinn didn't have to dedicate this novel to her and she was just excited to see what her girlfriend had written. '_For you: There were years when I didn't think we'd happen but now we're locked in happiness. This is our story.'_ Rachel broke down in tears. Tears of joy. Tears of love.

-#-

Quinn boarded the plane that was taking her to her first destination: North Carolina. Lindsay was already there and meeting her from the airport. Lindsay had been setting the promotional wheels in motion for a couple of weeks. She'd informed Quinn that there had appeared to be a lot of interest. The two weeks for the first part of the tour would be spent in North Carolina, touring the major cities. Quinn got her phone out and dialled Rachel's number.

"Hey beautiful." Quinn said before Rachel could speak.

"Hey baby, how was your flight?"

"Oh boring as always. I didn't have a pretty brunette to occupy my attention. I'm just waiting for my luggage so I can't talk for long, Lindsay's picking me up."

"That's ok, I just wanted to know you'd arrived safe, we're going to talk later aren't we?"

"Yes! I cannot wait!"

"Me either, but I hope this two week goes so fast, I miss you already!"

"I miss you too, before you know it I'll be back."

"I'll let you go baby, I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call you later. Bye." Quinn said before hanging up the phone. Just hearing Rachel's voice made her miss the brunette even more.

She walked through the airport and met Lindsay at arrivals. "Here's my favourite author." She said as Quinn approached. "Why the long face, Fabray? Let me guess... Rachel?" She said, answering her own question. Quinn gave a sombre nod. "It's only two weeks. Two weeks that are going to be so busy you won't miss that little diva."

"Impossible Lindsay."

"If you say so. Let's go to the hotel." Lindsay instructed and they walked over to the car.

Quinn walked into her hotel room and immediately flopped down on the bed. She took out her phone and texted Rachel. **"Hey Rach, I know you're on stage right now but I just want you to know I'm thinking of you. Call me when you're free. I miss my little superstar. I love you. xxx" **

The past six months had been a whirlwind, Quinn couldn't remember more than two days when she didn't see Rachel. These two weeks would kill her. She always thought people who couldn't survive without their partner were crazy but she'd clearly underestimated the ability and power of love. Her phone rang next to her snapping her out of her daydream. "Hello." She answered sleepily.

"Sorry baby, did I wake you?"

"No, I was just deep in thought. How was your show?"

"Same as usual."

"Have you had any more discussions about signing up for another run?"

"I haven't, but I really don't want to do it."

"Have you spoken to your Dads?"

"Yeah, they're coming to visit me this weekend. We'll talk about it more then. I want to talk to you about something much more important though."

"Which is?"

"Your dedication...I love it Quinn."

"I'm glad. I mean it, it's our story. It might not be our exact story but the trials the characters overcome are us. The title is our story in a nutshell. We've waited for so long and now we're together, after everything. Only time could tell our story."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love it when you have a deep answer for everything."

"I try..." She laughed.

"Well it's amazing and so are you."

"You too, Rach, you too." Quinn said as she stifled a yawn.

"It's late Quinn, I'll let you sleep. Do you have a busy schedule tomorrow?"

"Not really. We've got our first signing which is expected to be pretty hectic."

"Well good luck, not that you'll need it. I love you."

"I love you too, Rach. Speak soon."

"Bye Quinn." She said as she hung up the phone.


	18. The 'M' Word

**The 'M' Word:**

"I don't want to do another run in that ridiculous show, Dad." Rachel told Hiram, her Dad. He looked to his husband, Leroy who just shook his head. Neither of the men knew how to take their daughter's decision. "Rachel, how much have you thought this through?" Hiram sighed.

"I have given it a lot of thought. I was thinking about it long before I met Quinn. I haven't been happy for a long time. The past six months with Quinn have been amazing and I can take the time off to spend with her."

"Take Quinn out of your decision, I'm sure she doesn't want you to give up your dream for her."

"It isn't her decision though, its mine."

"No honey, it is Quinn's decision too." Leroy added.

"Huh?"

"The two of you are in what is becoming a serious relationship. When you're in a serious relationship you have to think about the consequences of your actions a lot more. Can I give you an example?" Leroy explained. Rachel nodded waiting for her Daddy to continue. "If say hypothetically you leave this show, take a year or two out, travel with Quinn, get married or whatever. The time will come when you'll want to get back to the stage but what if you can't, they've forgotten about you. Auditions begin to become far and few, your dream is starting to die. What if you begin to resent Quinn for taking the time off the stage to spend with her? What about Quinn's other dreams? What if she can't take all this time off because she's got a narked editor on the phone urging her to finish the next draft of her latest novel?"

"I'm sorry Daddy, that's nonsense." Rachel scoffed. "I have other dreams. I want to be a mother. I want to be a wife. They're priceless dreams. How could I resent Quinn if she helps me fulfill those dreams? Quinn and I know what we want."

"Dad and I don't want you rushing into any major decisions, do we H?"

"No, we don't."

"I mean Quinn and I aren't going to be getting married and having children any time soon but I don't want to be tied to a contract when we feel we're ready."

"If it's not going to be for a while why don't you look at what other options you have open."

"I haven't got any auditions lined up. I have one more thing I really want to do before I settle down though, if it doesn't happen before it can happen after, I just want to cross it off the bucket list."

"What is it, sweetie?" Hiram asked, unsure of what else his daughter could possibly dream of doing.

"You'll see eventually." She said, not wanting to give it away before she told Quinn.

"What about Quinn? Does she know about this mystery dream?"

"She doesn't, I told her it was third date material but we got sidetracked preparing for our fourth date." Rachel blushed.

-#-

"Dad...Daddy...Can I ask you a question?" Rachel said as she sat in her fathers' hotel room as they packed to go home.

"Of course princess, what's wrong?"

"You two like Quinn, don't you?"

"Of course we do, we love Quinn. Why wouldn't we?" Leroy replied chirpily.

"So you've forgiven her for what happened in the past?" She enquired.

"Definitely. She was a child and didn't understand a lot of things that were happening in her head. Now she's embraced them and made one of the biggest changes in her life, we have nothing but respect for that. We know how hard it is to come out and deal with who you really are." Hiram added.

"What's brought this on?" Hiram asked. Both of her parents turned to face her as they awaited her response.

"Oh nothing, I was just wondering. So neither of you would object if Quinn and I got married?"

"No honey, of course not. We can see that Quinn makes you happy and that's all we'd ask. Promise us though, you won't rush into it."

"Oh no of course not. I've got a plan-" She began before she was interrupted.

"Of course you have a plan, Rachel. You always have a plan." Leroy mocked.

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared." She snapped back.

"Now now, no tantrums Rachel." Hiram reprimanded.

"Sorry, look, I've got to go, the theatre calls. Please let me know when you get home. Thanks for coming. I love the both of you so much."

"We will and we love you Rachel."

"Come visit us soon. Quinn and I would love to have you visit our new apartment." She beamed. "When I finally find one." She added. She hugged her fathers and kissed them both on the cheek before she left the room.

"She's growing up H." Leroy said as Rachel left the room.

"I know, I know."

"Who's going to break and propose first?"

"My money's on Rachel, just hearing her talk about Quinn made me see how in love she really was. I wouldn't be surprised if she scrapped the plan and proposed as soon as Blondie gets off the plane."

"I'll take Quinn then, not through lack of choice, but you can see how romantic she is. Look what she's written about our daughter even before they got together. She's written two love stories about her. I tell you something though, her proposal better be just as romantic. Rachel won't let her standards drop!" Leroy chuckled.

"You're on." Hiram laughed. He kissed his husband lightly to seal their deal. "She'll always be our little girl." Hiram mumbled quiet enough so Leroy wouldn't hear.

-#-

"Quite a turn out, Quinn. I'm impressed!" Lindsay whispered as they approached the bookstore.

"They've all been impressive. You really stepped up on the promotional work Lindsay, I can't thank you enough."

"How about you dedicate your next novel to me." She winked.

"I'm sorry; some crazy, brown haired diva has already stolen my words. She won't give them up without a fight." Quinn laughed. "Speaking of..." Quinn began changing her tone to sincere, "Did we get any response from publishing regarding that one copy?"

"Not yet, when do you need it by?"

"Anytime really, I don't know when I'll need it. I'm trying to perfect a time at the moment."

"Let me know when you decide and I'll get them to step it up a gear."

"Thanks Lindsay, I appreciate it."

"No problem, are you ready for this?" Lindsay said as she opened the door to the store.

"Yeah, it's just another signing; besides this is the last one of this short tour."

"I'm glad but I wasn't taking about the signing."

"Oh, well what were you meaning?"

"The magical 'm' word..." Lindsay mumbled. Quinn's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah! Of course! I've been planning this for years. Timing's just proving to be a bitch. I need to make sure she's ready for it. I've also got to speak to her Dads as well. I want to do this properly." Quinn answered as she sat down at the table that had been set up for the signing.

Quinn distractedly signed the books placed in front of her. She smiled and posed for pictures with fans, she made small talk but all the while she was distracted. She was in another state. _'Twelve hours and I'll be home'_ she kept repeating in her head. She knew that they would be the longest twelve hours she'd ever lived through but what was waiting for her at home was worth it.

Rachel sat in her dressing room staring at the pictures that adorned the mirror. Many had been replaced over the past six months. Where she would have problems locating the meaning and memories she had in the previous ones; the ones that they had replaced burst with memories, emotion and meaning. She stared at each one intently recalling the happiness and joy captured in each one. Her heart panged with joy when she realised that her girlfriend would be home soon. _'Twelve hours'_ was the last thing she thought before she went on stage.


	19. Dreams

**A/N: So I began my teaching practice this week so writing time is becoming scarce. I love reading the reviews you guys give to this story and thank you for sticking with it, even though its no longer Christmas. I feel like I could have Christmas all year around add in Faberry and I'm definitely sorted.**

**I want to know your opinions, who do you think will crack first and propose? Do you agree with Hiram and think Rachel? Or is Leroy's idea of Quinn proposing more your thought? I have it worked out who is proposing and how. I'm working up to it, I promise!**

**Stay with me!**  
><strong>All the best,<strong>  
><strong>Klaine 2314<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Dreams<strong>:

Rachel sat at the kitchen table strumming her fingers on the table. She was sure the clock was permanently stuck and refused to move. She hated waiting. She began to strum her fingers harder as she focused on the clock on the wall. "Rachel, if you don't stop tapping your fingers I am going to kick you out of this apartment." Kurt called from the lounge. Rachel smiled a small smile and got up from her seat. She walked through to the lounge where Kurt was finishing up his yoga session. "Thank you." He mumbled unaware that Rachel was behind him.

"You're welcome." She said a loud, startling him. He lost his balance and toppled over onto the floor.

"Damn you! When did you become so quiet?" He asked. Rachel's face lit up but before she could speak Kurt continued to talk. "Actually don't answer that. You are definitely not quiet! Trust me. There are nights when I'm unable to sleep! Speaking of, when does Quinn get home?" He blurted causing Rachel to blush. "She's due back any minute, hence the constant strumming."

"Right, well I think I'll go shower and then make myself scarce. I'm not a fan of the constant PDA I'm subject to now she lives with us and I also need a decent night's sleep so I'll stay at Blaine's."

"What are you insinuating there?"

"Rachel, don't play dumb. You and Quinn have been parted for a week. An unbearable week where you've done nothing but mope around here. I'm just thankful that Lindsay cut the trip short because I've...ahem...heard the two of you on the phone and trust me, I don't need to hear that...ever...again." He blushed.

"Well maybe you should move in with Blaine permanently?" Rachel spat playfully.

"Well maybe I will." He laughed and left the room, leaving Rachel to sit and stare at the clock again.

Quinn watched the slow moving traffic from her seat in the taxi with annoyance spread across her face. _'Stupid traffic'_ she moaned in her head. She wanted nothing more to get home and see her girl. The girl whose voice she couldn't get enough of; the girl she constantly thought of whilst she was signing books; and the girl she wanted to marry. She checked her phone and was surprised to see she didn't have any messages or missed calls from an anxious diva wondering where she was. She leaned forward to the pane of glass that separated her from the taxi driver. "Here take this." She said throwing some money through the small gap. "I have to be somewhere pretty quickly and this traffic is terrible, thanks!" She gasped before grabbing her bags and darting out of the door. Once safely on the pavement Quinn began to jog home. _'Not. Much. Further.'_ She panted mentally.

Rachel sighed and sat back down. She'd begun pacing the floor in the lounge but soon got too irritated to even do that. Kurt had popped in and bid her farewell so now she didn't even have him to keep her company until Quinn arrived home. Quinn arrived at the apartment block and took one look up to the window where she expected to see Rachel sat, scouring the streets for the blonde, but there was no sign of the brunette jumping up and down excitedly at the window.

Quinn hurriedly began her ascent to their apartment. She took the stairs and skipped them as she ran up to their front door. Through the glass panes she could see the diva, one more obstacle to get through and they'd be reunited. She grabbed the keys from her bag and forced them into the lock. The door swung open and Quinn bolted inside leaving her bags in the hall as she ran over to Rachel. "Come here you." She declared as she entered the living room.

Rachel's frown soon became a smile as she dived off the sofa and embraced her girlfriend tightly. Their lips met and it was as if they'd never been away. Their kisses became hungrier and hungrier as they made their way to the couch. Reluctantly they eventually broke away before they forgot the simplest of greetings. Quinn wrapped an arm around Rachel and pulled her tightly as they sat on the couch. "Oh crap! I forgot my bags, one sec." Rachel couldn't do anything but laugh. She loved how Quinn's desire to see her made her lose value of all of her possessions. "Sorted." She sighed as she threw them into their bedroom and dived back over the couch and landed on Rachel.

"Ouch!" She yelped.

"Sorry baby, I did it out love. I mean it."

"How can you hurt me out of love?"

"I just need to be close to you right now, I never want to be apart from you for that length of time again!" She said as she shifted her weight so they were lying side by side.

"I guess now's not the time to remind you that you leave in a few days for the next part of your tour."

"Well actually..."

"Actually what? Quinn what's going on?"

"I may have cancelled that part of the tour."

"What? Why?" Rachel exclaimed causing Quinn to abruptly sit up.

"Don't worry, it wasn't just for you. I can assure you." Quinn began, realising Rachel would be annoyed if that was the entire reason. "No, I mean the signing was great and the book has a fantastic buzz but Lindsay and I are trialling something new. It was her idea actually." Quinn told her. Rachel didn't look convinced.

"We've seen for ourselves the success and buzz for the book, so we wondered whether we could have signings just here in New York and see how many people would travel for them. It happens all the time. Take London for example. If an author visits Britain they usually visit London, the capital city of England, millions of people travel down for that one event. It's madness. We're just wondering if that buzz can happen here and for my book." Quinn explained.

"What if it doesn't?" Rachel asked not entirely convinced by the idea.

"If it doesn't, then the next book I write will have a full book tour with no complaints. I can't lie Rachel, you were part of the reason I was so up for this idea. I love travelling and meeting fans but I love you more. If I could pick you up and take you with me I would, but I can't, so I decided to bring my work to you." Quinn finished. She watched Rachel's face to see if there was any sign of reaction, either positive or negative. Instead she just sat there in silence contemplating what her girlfriend had just told her.

Quinn left and began to unpack her suitcase while Rachel sat in the lounge and stared at the wall ahead of her. _'She's giving up part of her work for me, why can't I do something as simple as that?'_ she thought. Quinn's voice snapped her from her thoughts. "Hey Rach, I know you love unpacking, so why don't you get your pretty little butt in here and help me." She rolled her eyes and remained on the couch. Quinn was unsure how to take the silence from the diva, it was odd for her to be quiet for this long. She left the bedroom and sat down beside her girlfriend. She took one of Rachel's hands and interlocked their fingers.

"Rach, tell me what you're thinking, please." Quinn begged.

"Honestly Quinn, I think you're giving up a lot for this relationship and I can't give anything up." She whimpered. "Hey, hey, hey, I never asked you to give anything up." She soothed pulling her tighter and cradling her head. "I know you haven't. I feel like I should though."

"Your dream is so much bigger than mine. I feel like I've succeeded in life. I've had not one but two novels published and I have you. This is the start of the next dream for me. What other dreams do you have, baby?"

"One more." She whispered.

"Wasn't this third date material?" Quinn asked. Rachel only nodded in reply. "I think we're definitely passed the third date stage, so come on, tell me."

"I want to..." She stopped, this was one of her biggest dreams. Something no one knew.

"You want to what, baby? Come on."

"I want to...release...an...album." She finally stammered out. Quinn was stunned.

"That's great baby. I believe in you."

"It's stupid...it's not going to happen. It's really hard to break into the industry."

"Hey, you're already in the industry. You're Rachel Berry: Star of Broadway."

"Star of Broadway without any offers for other shows."

"Maybe it's a sign though." Quinn said supportively. "That you've done as much as necessary on Broadway for now and you should take the leap into something else. Look at me..." She asked. Rachel's eyes shot up and looked right into Quinn's. "I believe in you, Rachel. I know you can do this. You've supported me with my book now let me support you. Tell me you'll go for it." Rachel wiped away the small tears that were forming in her eyes and slowly nodded her head.

"Thanks Quinn. I've missed you being here the past week, you know."

"I know baby, I missed you too. You definitely were the reason why I got Lindsay to cut this tour short. I couldn't do another week without you."

"I love you." Rachel simply replied.

"I love you too, now come on, come help me unpack." Quinn replied with a wink. She pulled her girlfriend up and led her to the bedroom.

Once they were unpacked, they laid on the bed together just soaking up each other's company. Kurt couldn't have been more wrong when he assumed that he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. The women lay in silence just holding each other knowing they were both ready for the next step in their relationship. Neither could work out the exact time for it to come though.


	20. Planned Spontaneity

****A/N: A lot of jumping to the present and past in this chapter but I know my readers can handle it!  
>We're getting closer to the proposal by one of our girls! Which should signal the end of this little story!<strong>**

**I'll be sad when its finished! Back to the drawing board for another fanfiction...or maybe I should finish my Fabrevans fic!**  
><strong>Anyway, before this turns into my general thoughts on life and other nonsense!<strong>  
><strong>All the best,<strong>  
><strong>Klaine2314<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Planned Spontaneity:<strong>

"You two actually make me nauseous with your sweetness." A voice chimed entering the room.

"Nice of you to finally make it, San. Only two hours late." Quinn retorted.

"Let me guess, you're filling these guys in on your story?"

"Naturally." Rachel replied.

"I'm in the first part, so I know what happens, I know I won't have missed much...but before Berry berates me I'm going to sit and shut my mouth."

"I think Kurt's more likely to berate you!"

"I'll sit next to Hummel, we can even fangirl over the two of you, if you want?" Santana quipped.

"Anyway..." Rachel began.

* * *

><p>"Ah, just the couple I was looking for." Kurt said as he approached the two women as they ate lunch.<p>

"We're the only people you could be looking for." Rachel remarked.

"I'll ignore that smart-ass remark. I've got some interesting developments. As fun as it is living with the two of you, I'm taking the plunge. I'm moving in with Blaine."

"That's fantastic, Kurt!" Rachel squealed, jumping up and hugging him.

"I'll miss living with you Kurt. It's just me and looney here now. If I go insane, it's your fault." Quinn chuckled, which earned her a slap from her girlfriend.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine." Kurt giggled.

"When do you leave?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not sure yet, probably the end of the month."

"You're not going to be here for our first anniversary. Actually on reflection that's probably a good thing. If you know what I'm saying." The diva winked.

"I don't think the random woman on the street needed confirmation about that, baby." Quinn sniggered.

"How ever will I survive when I can sleep peacefully and not hear you hit higher notes than you do when you're on stage." Kurt mocked.

"You. Are. So. Dead." She emphasised as she pretended to lunge at him.

"I guess I should apologise for that Kurt. I can't help it if I'm good in bed." Quinn responded lightly.

"I can confirm that she is in fact insatiable."

"As are you baby, as are you." Quinn replied. She pulled the diva onto her lap and kissed her softly before Rachel deepened it. Quinn could feel Rachel smiling as they kissed she struggled to restrain her laughter knowing exactly what the diva was up to.

"This..." Kurt said indicating to the kissing couple in front of him "...is one of several reasons I can no longer live with you. Your little game is up, Rachel. The 'Make Kurt uncomfortable' game that the two of you have been playing is over." He laughed.

"Does that mean we win?" Rachel said breaking away from Quinn. Kurt huffed and left the room hurriedly as they began kissing again. Once he'd left they quickly broke away in giggles.

* * *

><p>"Don't think I know what the two of you are up to tonight." Kurt interjected.<p>

"I have no idea what you're implying there..." Rachel mumbled averting her eyes.

"Yeah Kurt, what on earth are you on about?" Quinn asked as she lightly kissed the diva's neck.

"Very clever, Fabray. Now, I want to get home at some point tonight, please continue." Kurt joked.

* * *

><p>"Are you still interested in finding our own place?" Quinn asked as the two lay in bed that evening.<p>

"I don't know, now Kurt's leaving it seems pointless for us to leave too. We might as well have just got a place of our own from the start, really."

"Why don't we stay here then? If it becomes too small then we can look for a new place." Quinn replied. "Can I make a suggestion though?" She added.

"Go for it."

"Can we make Kurt's room an office? As much as I love working from bed, I get far too relaxed and distracted by my surroundings to work. It's ok for now whilst I don't have any deadlines but when I start writing again I can't be distracted otherwise I'll have an irate Lindsay giving me hell for sending her bad drafts with lousy spelling and punctuation."

"I don't see that being an issue. Your desk and everything is in storage so we can just get them moved up."

"I thought you'd put up more of a fight than that." Quinn chuckled.

"I'm lost..."

"I thought maybe you'd want a trophy room or something, for all those amazing awards you have and the many more you're going to get."

"Oh no, it's too early in my career for one of those. We'll have one in our family home."

"Our family home, huh?"

"Yes. It's going to be necessary. We can't still be living in this apartment when we've got four children running around. Four children in one bedroom isn't exactly practical or fair, now is it?"

"Four children? That's how many you want. Thanks for giving me the memo."

"I don't see you arguing. I take it four's ok then?"

"Let's just see how we're doing once we're married. Before that we have to get engaged, so let's not rush ourselves."

"Hurry up and propose then." Rachel replied bluntly.

"Who says I'm proposing, I might be waiting for you to propose to me." She laughed.

"We've got our entire life ahead of us, that doesn't seem long enough, does it?"

"It's like a jail sentence." Quinn winked. Rachel huffed and turned away from her. "Oh Rachel, I'm joking, of course it's never going to be long enough." She laughed wrapping an arm around the diva's waist and pulling her back towards her. "I look forward to the mornings when I wake up next to you and the nights when I fall asleep holding you, that's never going to be enough. We just have to learn to make it enough and not take any time we have together for granted."

"You make it sound like we're dying."

"We are Rachel. My heart feels like it's about to burst. About to burst with love. Love that's all for you. If that's what dying feels like then I'll die a happy woman, as long as I have you and our love."

"You'll always have me and our love, I promise." She replied a tear rolling down her face at her girlfriend's heartfelt confession. "Now would be a perfect time to propose. Just saying." She laughed wanting to defuse the tension.

"It would, but I've decided when I'm proposing and exactly how."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. Do I take your surprise as a sign that you haven't started planning at all?"

"I've had ideas but nothing concrete I prefer the spontaneity of a proposal. I might just surprise you when you're in the bath or when you're reading the paper."

"I like that idea, its much more you. We're the perfect balance. You live for spontaneity and I live for plans. I think you may need to plan at some point, I mean I might not plan on proposing for another three years and I can sense that you want to be married before then." She joked.

"In three years we will be close to thirty, I definitely want to be married before then."

"Get thinking then." Quinn laughed, poking her side.

* * *

><p>"Can I just add that neither of you has given in yet." Santana joked.<p>

"Santana, can I borrow you a second?" Quinn asked, carefully putting Rachel into her space on the couch. Santana's brow dropped and slowly she followed the blonde into the kitchen. "S'up Blondie?"

"I'll tell you what _s'up..._ stop saying the 'm' word!"

"You're not getting cold feet are you? I thought this was what you wanted..."

"It is. The more you guys bring it up, the more excited she gets and I want to catch her off guard. I don't want her expecting me to do it, just like she won't want me to expect when she's going to do it. It's supposed to be a surprise and for the life of me I cannot lie to her. Those eyes just make my heart break and she _always_ gets what she wants! So get back in there and nudge Hummel and tell him to pipe down too!"

"What am I going to say when I go back in?"

"Seriously? You're Santana frickin' Lopez, use your head and make something up!" The blonde scolded.

"Q, calm down. This crazy persona you've got right now is not cool. Rachel's going to think I hit on you or something and I hate to tell you but you're not my type."

"Thank the lord, because I only have eyes for one brunette in this place and she definitely isn't you." Quinn laughed, sighing deeply as she tried to regain composure before re-entering the lounge where Rachel and their guests were awaiting her return.

'_Man up, Fabray. Its four words. You know what she'll say. Just man up._'


	21. You Aren't Them

**A/N:  
>Second update of the day!<br>I thought I was going to be busy! Not happening! **

**This always needed to happen, angry Faberry! **

**All the best,  
>Klaine2314<br>**

* * *

><p><strong>You Aren't Them<strong>:

"I never realised how much time you spent on that blasted machine until Kurt moved out." Rachel stated as she stood in the doorway to Quinn's office. Kurt had moved out of their apartment only a week earlier and in that time Quinn had set up her office and practically lived in it.

"I thought you said you weren't as busy now that your novel was published."

"My work never stops baby. Lindsay likes to forward me emails from fans and I take my time to respond to them. Some of them have stories that are so similar to ours and it reminds me how lucky we are to have a love like ours. I can come and keep you company now if you want? I didn't realise it was this late. Actually I'm not even asking, I'm just going to close this thing down and spend some time with my beautiful, amazing girlfriend."

"You don't have to, if you need to work then do it."

"It's not exactly work. Just correspondence while my book's still doing the rounds. Soon enough I'll be back writing my next novel and then we'll feel like we're apart, even if it is only by a door." Quinn said as she closed down her laptop.

"By then though, you may have returned to the stage." Quinn added as she followed the diva into the lounge.

"About that..."

"Yes?"

"I don't know if I want to go back. The time off has been fantastic and has done me the world of good but I really want to pursue a music career."

"You don't even want to keep Broadway as a fall back?"

"I don't know. I mean I loved the stage, but there was that period before we met that I fell out of love with it. Instead of falling back in love with it, I fell in love with you. I'm not blaming you, if anything, you're trying so hard to reignite my passion for the stage. I just feel like that's a chapter of my life that's complete. I want to be able to kick the proverbial bucket before we have a family. I don't want to be a crazy working mother who hardly sees her family because she's tied to eight shows a week."

"It sounds like you've really thought this through." Quinn finally answered.

"I really have. I want to go for it."

"Well, let's do it then. If you need an investor, I'm happy to invest. I've always been Rachel Berry's biggest fan even before I got her into bed and became an even bigger fan of her vocal chords."

"How is it you turn the most romantic thing into something sexual?"

"It's a talent. I'm a writer, we're good with words and comparisons." Quinn shrugged.

"I've been speaking with my manager about it too. She agrees that it could be tough but worthwhile if it happens in the long run. She's working out some rough deals before proposing to the companies."

"Will you let me invest? Anything you make me can go in funds for the four children we plan to send to college, its not cheap you know." She chuckled.

"How about you invest in our future then? Propose already!" Rachel mocked.

"Rachel, please, let's not discuss this anymore! I'm starting to get annoyed."

"What? Why?" She replied startled at the blonde's sudden change in tone and mood.

"It's all you talk about, every frickin' opportunity you get, you bring it up. If you want to get married then just propose, but I won't be rushed or pressured into it!" Quinn said angrily, rising from the couch. She stormed out of the lounge, grabbed her shoes and out of the front door before Rachel could even ask where she was going.

'_She doesn't understand how hard it is. Her parents are still happily married. She came from a loving home and the perfect family.'_ Quinn thought as she stormed down the streets. Pedestrians jumped out of her way as she marched towards them furiously. _'She grew up in the perfect family. Her parents didn't throw her out when she was sixteen. Her parents didn't drink away the pain of a loveless marriage. She doesn't have any siblings to abandon her.'_ Quinn sat on the bench where she'd confessed her feelings for Rachel and broke down. 

_'I don't want to be like them. I don't want our marriage to end in divorce. I want it to be forever. Getting to forever takes time.'_ Quinn's phone bleeped beside her. **(1) New Message: Rachel**. Quinn ignored it and put her phone back in her jacket pocket. She stared up at the sky trying to compose her thoughts. '_What if our love isn't enough? What if I hurt her just like Dad hurt Mom? I can't bear to live with myself knowing I've hurt her.'_

Rachel sat stunned on the couch. The blonde had never reacted in this way when they were talking about the future before, usually she was so playful with her responses, but Rachel realised she'd clearly hit a raw nerve. Maybe she did mention it too much, maybe she was mistaken when she thought the two were on the same page. Either way, she knew she had to fix it. She tapped out a message to Quinn and just hoped the blonde would reply or return home.

Quinn remained rooted to the bench trying to get past the visions of her failed childhood that were at the forefront of her mind. She tried to focus on all the great things she'd achieved in her life. The things she'd achieved and proved her parents and all the doubters wrong. She'd made something of her life. Not only had she had two novels published but they'd proven to be bestsellers. Quinn was in demand. The decision to cancel her book tour and divert all her fans to New York had proven to be a hit, she saw it as an added benefit that she got to stay with Rachel instead of jetting off around America. Rachel. The one thing that she'd always wanted in life, she'd got. That was more valuable than any book. Rachel was something she couldn't put a price on and here she was storming away from the one thing she'd always wanted; all because Rachel was desperate to spend the rest of her life with her. _'What am I doing?'_ Quinn thought. _'Rachel will listen when I talk to her. I just have to let her in.'_

Quinn had always struggled with letting people in. Once she'd found writing she found it much easier to express how she felt. She'd never had anyone to confide in, so confiding in a blank word document was always easier. There was no one there to judge her. It was a space for her and her thoughts. She stood up and began the walk back to their apartment. Her phone bleeped again and she saw she had a second message from Rachel. She ignored them and just continued to clear her head. She knew she'd sort things out with Rachel in time. It was something they had to do face-to-face not over texts. She knew when words were written down they lacked conviction and emotion. It was one of her many problems she'd learned to overcome as a writer.

'_I wish she'd just reply and at least let me know she's safe, she owes me that at least._' Rachel thought as she paced the apartment. She kept walking over to the window and looking for the recognisable blonde hair that belonged to her girlfriend but no one stood out to her. She sighed and sat back on the couch. '_If she's not home in the next twenty minutes I'm going out to look for her.'_ Rachel decided.

She heard the door unlock and it slowly creaked open. "Quinn?" She asked as she dived off the couch to see the blonde return.

"Yeah, it's me." She answered. "Don't start Rachel, just let me talk, ok?" Quinn ordered. Rachel simply gulped and nodded. She sat on the couch and Quinn took the armchair. _'She's choosing not to sit near me, this is not going to end well. We had a fun run, almost a year, that's the longest relationship I've had in a long time.'_ Rachel thought sadly.

"I need to explain myself." Quinn began. She closed her eyes, she couldn't look into Rachel's eyes and be angry at the same time. There was too much love conveyed in her orbs that would take Quinn's mind off the issue and allow her to just forget it. This was something Quinn couldn't forget. She needed to address it. She forced her eyes open and stared into her girlfriend's beautiful eyes.

"I want to marry you, Rachel. I genuinely do. You know all about my childhood. You know about the Fabray's. They lived for appearances. Everything was fine to the outside but behind closed doors we weren't happy. The world thought everything was fantastic to be a Fabray and you should count yourself lucky to carry the name. I guess at one point we were happy but then they kicked me out at sixteen when they found out I was pregnant. My Mom kicked my Dad out when she found out he was having an affair. The Fabray's fell apart. My sister got out as soon as she could and has never looked back. I got out the next opportunity I could and similarly to Frannie, I've never looked back.

I don't intend on looking back. I'll invite them to my wedding but I don't expect any of them to turn up. I didn't go to Frannie's wedding so she won't come to mine. They're my family but not through choice. I want to be a family with you, Rachel, and I want that to be through choice. I'm sorry but I can't be if you keep insisting on getting married at every possible moment.

It's not going to be easy to have a marriage that's semi-public. Our relationship has been easy so far, but it'll only get harder. I just want you to be aware of that. You grew up in a family where you had two doting father's who gave you the best of everything and taught you not to abuse that. I grew up in a family where money was thrown at us and we just blew it on whatever. We grew up in entirely different families. I don't want to end up resenting you or hurting you like Mom does with Dad. I don't want our love to ever hurt you. I couldn't ever live with myself knowing I'd hurt you. You're something that's always been so out of reach for me, Rachel, that now I have you I have to pinch myself to check you're really there. I always want to feel like that. I just can't rush into getting married without being scarred by the memories I have of something as special and sacred as marriage." She finished.

"I thought when you said you'd planned it, it meant you were definitely planning on proposing."

"Rachel, I do plan on proposing. I just need to mentally prepare for it and what marriage entails. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"I understand Quinn, and I am sorry for pushing it. Normally you're so playful that I just thought we were bantering, I honestly didn't know you were going to flip out."

"I couldn't have warned you I was going to flip out, I'm so sorry for storming out but I needed to clear my head." She finished, hoping that Rachel would sense she wasn't in the mood to talk for much longer.

"Can I say something?" Rachel asked cautiously.

"Go for it." Quinn sighed.

"You aren't them. You aren't them, Quinn. You're not your parents."

"I know, I just need to make sure I don't turn into them."

"You won't. You know what it feels like to grow up in that kind of environment and you won't allow that to reflect on you as a wife and as a mother. I have all the faith in you Quinn. We're going to be happy, when you reach that point, tell me. Let's not mention the 'm' word until you're ready."

"Thank you." Quinn simply muttered.

Rachel moved over to the armchair and sat on Quinn's lap. She moved the blonde's arm around her and snuggled in tight. Quinn simply held her and tried to analyse where her heart was. "Rach, you know I love you, right?" She whispered.

"I do."

"Good." She simply replied. That was the only thing they said for the remainder of the night. They sat there in complete silence both in deep thought about where they were headed.


	22. Another Dedication

**A/N: I did say updates were going to be less frequent, this one's taken me ages to get down. I hope I've done it justice!  
><strong>

**Another Dedication**:

Quinn was at her go-to spot, the bench where she'd confessed her feelings for Rachel. That bench was the start of something pretty amazing for the both of them and Quinn felt like it was a place for clarity for her. She'd slipped out of bed almost two hours ago. She'd watched Rachel sleep for an hour before getting up to clear her head again. She needed to talk it through with someone who wasn't Rachel. Someone who was an outsider to their relationship. Only one person had come to mind.

"Santana, I think I've screwed up." Quinn complained down the phone.

"I bet you haven't, come on Q, tell me what's up."

"I stormed out on Rachel. I almost lost my temper."

"Hold up, how did you get to storming out? You're missing out vital information, I'm sure Berry gave you a valid excuse for storming out. She was the master of them in high school its only natural that she passes off her traits on the people she lives with, god, imagine your children." She abruptly stopped. "Seriously Quinn, explain everything to me."

"She's talking about leaving Broadway and you know completing her bucket list before she starts another chapter in her life. She's scared if she doesn't do it now then she won't get the opportunity again once she becomes a wife and a mother. I support her decision, I mean I've kicked the bucket years ago and I'm ready for the responsibilities of being a wife and a mother. We've both discussed being ready to move on in our relationship and become a proper family but every single discussion we have always ends up in me being the one to propose. She's just so persistent that it's taking the excitement away from it. It seems as if she's completely given up on her proposing to me. It feels like I'm being pressured into proposing just to make her happy. I mean, I know exactly how I'm doing it and she knows that. I am ready to move forward but I won't be forced into it."

"Q, you just told me that you're ready to move forward. What's really holding you back?"

"You know what kind of environment I grew up in Santana. It wasn't easy."

"No it wasn't easy, but you and Rachel are happy, your parents weren't."

"They must have been at some point though, you know to actually get married. They must have loved each other at some stage to commit to each other."

"I suppose so, but what's brought all this on?"

"Well, what if Rachel and I don't work out? What if we end up making each other as unhappy as my parents did before they finally called it a day. What if I'm the source of her unhappiness for the rest of her life?"

"What happened to the Quinn Fabray who never thought about the 'what ifs' in life?"

"She realised how big of a commitment marriage actually is. I don't know how I'd survive if I knew Rachel wasn't happy and that I'd caused that unhappiness."

"Quinn, you've made Rachel happier than anyone I've ever known. You two have the capacity to go the distance. You're going to be there for each other when you need it most. Of course it's going to be hard, but you've accepted that. Rachel knows its going to be hard, she's not stupid, Q.

I believe in the two of you. I believe in the love that the two of you have found with each other. It may have taken some time getting to where you are now but that's life. If it was going to be simple we'd have a boring existence. You and Berry wouldn't have made it in high school the world wasn't ready for you. It's ready now. You've just got to accept that you're going to be together and no matter how hard you try to disregard that it's not going to be something that ends in unhappiness." Santana explained.

"You know Santana, that's the most sense you've ever made and probably the nicest you've been to Rachel like ever." Quinn laughed, changing the tone from serious to light.

"Don't get used to it. Sometimes Quinn you need a push in the right direction. You don't know how you'd live knowing she was unhappy, how do you think she'd live knowing you were unhappy? I don't know how I'd live knowing that the two of you weren't together, giving the relationship phobic among us the hope of finding true love."

"You really are a brilliant friend Santana, I owe you so much."

"Q, I wouldn't let you throw this away. You owe me a favour."

"I think I owe you more than a favour."

"It's a shame you're taken Fabray, I've always wondered what you're like in bed. Feisty I reckon."

"Ew. Never ever say that again. Rachel would kill you for a start!"

"I was kidding Quinn. I just want you to tell me when you're planning on proposing, that's all."

"Oh. Well yeah, I did tell you earlier that I knew how I was going to do it but I know when I'm doing it too. I've just got to keep her off my case for a while longer."

"Do tell!"

-#-

Rachel lay staring at the space where Quinn slept wondering where the blonde was. She'd felt the blonde get out of bed and quietly slip out of the room. She had no idea how tense the atmosphere was going to be between them this morning. They'd gone to bed in a comfortable silence the night before but neither would deny that the mood was tense and discussion was minimal to avoid further conflict. Rachel knew exactly where they stood now and knew not to pressure Quinn into marriage. As she lay in bed she re-evaluated exactly what the blonde had said. She wished that Quinn had told her that it was her family that had given her doubts about getting married. They could have discussed it without her having to storm out to prove her point. That was something they needed to work before they even considered getting married again. They both had fiery tempers and were still learning bits about each other's personality such as Quinn's hesitation at opening up and being completely honest where her head is.

Rachel heard the door open and pretended to be asleep. She wanted to know how Quinn was going to be with her, would she wake her? Would she just leave her to wake herself up? The diva needed an idea of how she was going to behave during the day. She felt the blonde plonk herself down on the mattress and drape an arm over her waist. "Time to wake up, Rach." She whispered, lightly kissing her cheek. Slowly Rachel opened her eyes and turned to face her girlfriend whose face lit up when the diva turned onto her back. "What time is it?" Rachel asked feigning to stretch.

"9. I thought maybe we could spend the day together?" Quinn responded.

"That sounds perfect." She replied leaning up and kissing her. She pulled away when she heard a rustling noise behind the blonde's back. "What are you hiding?" She asked, leaning further up to try and peek behind her back.

"Well, I brought you breakfast: coffee and vegan croissants from a deli that's just opened down the street. I apologise in advance if both are dreadful, it looked nice though."

"Well aren't you sweet this morning? Thank you." She commented as she took the breakfast from the blonde who had slipped under the duvet and was closing the gap between her and the brunette. She held Rachel close who was slowly sipping at her coffee and fed off the closeness between the two of them. "Is everything ok this morning?" Rachel asked quietly.

"It is. I don't think I can apologise enough for last night, I just got so, actually, never mind. Let's not dwell on the past."

"I agree, I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I know and I appreciate it. I've been out this morning and cleared my head again. Everything is completely normal and I don't want last night to get in the way of us. We both know exactly where we stand and that although we're both ready to move forward there's still some issues that we need to sort out before we can move forward properly." Quinn stated. Rachel just sat there nodding in silent agreement with the blonde.

"How about instead of you going out to clear your head at ridiculous o'clock, you wake me up and speak to me about it?"

"You looked too peaceful to wake up, besides I like spending some time alone."

"I don't care how peaceful I look; if something's up I want to know. I can understand wanting to spend time alone but I love you and we work better together."

"We do but sometimes I do just need that time away. I spoke to Santana too; she always helps me see things with more clarity."

"I wish you'd talk to me though." Rachel answered honestly.

"I do baby, but this was about you and I just needed an outside perspective." Quinn replied.

"Outside perspective on what?"

"Us." Quinn simply replied. "Now come on, finish up. I want to take you out." She added as she got out of the bed and left Rachel simply staring into space.

-#-

"I can't believe we've nearly been together a year." Quinn stated as they walked towards the park, hand in hand. "Me either. I genuinely didn't think we'd last this long. I thought you'd have had enough of me by now."

"How so?"

"I figured that once we started living together that you'd see that I hadn't changed that much since high school and I was still the girl you once hated."

"Rach, I never hated you. Do you not remember I told you that I couldn't be friends with you because I wanted you even though I knew it was 'wrong'. Now I have you I'm not letting you go. I promise you."

"Part of me is always going to fear you leaving me."

"Rachel, I'm going to spend every day for the rest of my life helping you banish that fear. You and I are forever. That might sound naive but I believe it."

"It doesn't sound naive. I've never felt like this before. I've never been so in love that my heart hurts when we're apart."

* * *

><p>"Rachel where's your bathroom?" Santana interrupted.<p>

"The same place it always is." Rachel snapped back.

"I'll be right back, I've just got to go and throw up, you two make me sick sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Quinn asked playfully.

"Yeah if we only make you sick sometimes then we're failing." Rachel pointed out.

"Maybe we just need to up the game, baby?" Quinn mocked.

"I think so." Rachel mocked back. Santana screwed her face up and the pair burst out laughing. They hadn't realised that most of their guests had gone home. They had been sat telling their story for too long and even Kurt had dozed off in front of them. "Maybe we should just go to bed, baby? Everyone's gone home and Kurt, our most loyal listener has even fallen asleep." Quinn chuckled.

"I can't believe they left. Are we that boring?"

"We're not boring, we just have a long story. It doesn't matter that people left, the only thing that matters is that you and I are still here, together, to tell our story."

"This is just one short chapter."

"Nice link to storytelling there."

"What can I say? There's this girl I'm dating and she's a pretty well known author. I think she's had a best seller."

"No I think she's had two."

"Oh do you know her?"

"I believe I do, pretty well. Now I'm going to stop speaking about myself and just concentrate on getting ready for bed." Quinn laughed.

"Yeah me too, I'm rather tired."

"I just can't wait to get this ridiculous costume off. It's so itchy! Next year you're wearing the stupid outfit."

"Oh nooooo." Rachel laughed as Quinn approached her. "What on earth are you doing?"

"I want a preview. Put the tree on..." She sniggered pushing the costume on her girlfriend.

"This is horrible!" She squealed. "I can see what you mean about it being itchy and I've only had it on for a minute. How have you spent all night in this?" She asked as she watched Quinn get her pyjamas on."I did it out of love. I didn't really want a Rachel Berry diva strop during our first annual Christmas party." She teased as she turned down the bed.

Rachel huffed and was about to stomp her foot when Quinn grabbed her hand and pulled her towards her. "Happy Christmas Rachel." She whispered as she handed her a small package out of her bedside cabinet. "It's not Christmas." The diva replied.

"Happy Hanukkah then, just open it, before I change my mind." She winked.

Rachel's heart raced as she gently tore back the paper. She turned the package over and her eyebrow furrowed when she realised what it was. "Errr Quinn, I think you're losing your memory, I already have this."

"No you don't." Quinn simply replied.

"I do. You gave me the first published copy." She recounted as she stared at Quinn's novel that was in her hand. "I assure you that you don't have this copy."

"I do. I can even recite the dedication if you want." She replied confidently. Quinn raised her eyebrows in a silent approval for Rachel to continue. "It said: '_For you: There were years when I didn't think we'd happen but now we're locked in happiness. This is our story.'_ How close to perfect was that? Oh wait, don't answer because I know for a fact that was word perfect." Rachel smirked.

"Why don't you check? That doesn't sound perfect to me." Quinn joked urging the brunette to open the book.

"What's it worth?"

"I'll answer that when you check."

The brunette skipped to the page where the dedication was printed. Quinn's heart raced as she anxiously awaited the diva's reaction. Quinn watched as the diva's eyebrows rose when she saw a different dedication to the one she'd recited moments earlier. Instead of the original dedication, four words sat in print. _'Will you marry me'_ sat on the page bold as the type of the novel. Rachel slowly closed the novel and had tears slowly crawling down her face. "Rachel?" Quinn whispered moving to hold onto her girlfriend. "I mean it Rachel."

Quinn released the diva and moved to her cabinet and pulled out a small satin box. "I wanted to propose in a way that only I truly could. I wanted it to be special and romantic. Rachel, I've spent months planning this and although at times I wasn't ready, I've never been readier than I am now. I want to spend my life with you, I want to have children with you. I want everything with you. Will you do me the honour of marrying me?" She whispered, not wanting to break the quiet atmosphere in the room. She opened the box and inside was a small silver engagement ring.

She tried to read Rachel's expression and soon she didn't need to as the diva flung her arms around her neck and sobbed. "Yes. Of course I will."

"Really?" Quinn replied.

"A thousand times yes." She pulled Quinn into a kiss who quickly pulled away and took the diva's left hand and slowly slipped the ring onto it. Once the ring was securely in place she grabbed the diva and kissed her to convey any emotion she'd missed during the moments when she'd proposed. She wanted to make sure that Rachel felt everything she felt. "We're getting married." Rachel stuttered through her tears. "We're getting married." Quinn simply replied as she beamed with her pride at her fiancée who she was holding tightly in her arms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well?  
>Who was right? After the nonsense in last night's Glee episode I really wanted to make myself feel better and hopefully I made the Faberry shippers feel a bit better too! I'm not sure where to take this next but it isn't finished! I'm open to suggestions! :)<strong>

All the best,  
>Klaine2314<p> 


	23. The Final Goodbye  Author Notes

**A/N:**

**I wanted to write another chapter to this but after careful consideration I think its best left here. Writing this has achieved so much more than I ever dreamed. I've spent many hours sitting writing when I should have been doing things that society deem more constructive. **

**I've never really had a 'huge' following on FanFiction and to have over 100 subscribers to this has been amazing. Reading what you have written after I've updated is so worthy and I know authors say it all the time but if you take the time to review what you've read then it really does motivate the writer to just continue writing.**

**Something simple as FanFiction has really made me reignite my passion for writing and my love for words. I am going to write a sequel to this even if the demand for it is one reader, if I can make the one reader happy then my job as a writer is done. The sequel will be titled 'A Very Faberry Wedding' with many thanks to storieslover7 for suggesting the idea. **

**So I bid you all the best and hope you join me when I begin writing 'A Very Faberry Wedding'  
>Thank you for all your support!<strong>

**- Klaine2314**


End file.
